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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 120 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: stick · wake · fine · wax · key · press · kid · hand

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. kid — child
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. hand — help
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wake — a trail
  9. fine — high quality
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — to tease
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. hand — in cards
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wax — to grow
  17. press — newspapers
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — in music
  20. press — a publisher
  21. fine — all right
  22. key — the most important part
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. press — to push

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