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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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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: cold · press · march · hide · lash · pound · wax · mate

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. cold — not warm
  3. march — the month
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. press — newspapers
  7. wax — to grow
  8. press — to push
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. press — a publisher
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. march — music
  16. cold — an illness
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. mate — a partner
  20. march — the month
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. wax — for sculpting

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