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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: cabinet · press · club · rush · kick · arm · squash · wax

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the sport
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. club — a group
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. kick — in football
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. wax — to grow
  21. press — to push
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — for golf
  24. press — newspapers

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