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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.

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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: fork · straw · cue · wax · wind · deal · press · bass

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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. bass — the fish
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. cue — a signal
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. press — to push
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cue — a hint
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fork — in a road
  13. cue — for pool
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. wax — to grow
  16. deal — to handle
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bass — low music
  22. wind — moving air
  23. press — newspapers
  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