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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.

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: press · swing · degree · can · wax · hide · stand · bark

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. degree — an amount
  3. can — to be able to
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. swing — to play on
  9. degree — temperature
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. can — a tin
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wax — to grow
  17. press — to push
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. degree — from a university
  20. stand — to bear
  21. swing — music
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bark — to shout
  24. stand — for spectators

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