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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: key · patient · swing · bore · press · date · wax · spell

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. spell — letters
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — the most important part
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. swing — music
  11. date — the fruit
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bore — to tire
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bore — to drill
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. spell — magic
  19. press — to push
  20. spell — a short time
  21. swing — in golf
  22. press — a publisher
  23. swing — to play on
  24. key — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com