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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: key · press · wax · drill · cue · face · tear · bass

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. drill — army training
  3. tear — from crying
  4. key — for a lock
  5. tear — to rip
  6. wax — to grow
  7. press — newspapers
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. key — in music
  10. cue — for pool
  11. face — to point toward
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bass — low music
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cue — a hint
  16. key — the most important part
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. press — to push
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. drill — the tool
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. press — a publisher

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