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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wax · press · staff · stick · fall · bore · spell · rash

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. press — to push
  3. wax — to grow
  4. press — newspapers
  5. spell — magic
  6. fall — the season
  7. spell — a short time
  8. press — a publisher
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. staff — employees
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. rash — a series
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bore — to tire
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. rash — hasty
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. bore — to drill
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. fall — to drop

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