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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 116 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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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: calf · kid · deal · prune · band · press · wax · content

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. press — newspapers
  3. content — happy
  4. press — to push
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. deal — to handle
  9. band — a music group
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. press — a publisher
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. kid — to tease
  17. prune — to trim
  18. band — a ring
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. content — the amount

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