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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.

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: rush · bat · calf · cold · board · press · wave · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bat — the animal
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. press — to push
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. press — a publisher
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. press — newspapers
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. cold — an illness
  17. wax — to grow
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a committee
  20. cold — not warm
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. wave — with your hand

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