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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 · hide · vault · wax · row · bulb · present

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. present — there
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. press — to push
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. row — a line
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — newspapers
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. present — the time now
  15. cold — an illness
  16. wax — to grow
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cold — not warm
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. present — a gift
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wax — in the ear

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