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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: pitcher · cell · spring · bowl · press · wax · rest · firm

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cell — in biology
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. wax — to grow
  13. firm — decided
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. firm — steady
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. spring — the season
  19. press — to push
  20. spring — of water
  21. firm — a company
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. pitcher — a jug

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