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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.

Make a worksheet

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: wax · rash · press · spell · club · staff · wind · mouse

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wind — moving air
  8. press — newspapers
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. press — a publisher
  11. spell — letters
  12. staff — employees
  13. rash — a series
  14. club — a group
  15. spell — magic
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. club — for dancing
  18. press — to push
  19. spell — a short time
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. club — for golf

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