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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.

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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: wax · wind · perch · mark · arm · press · leaves · cue

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. press — a publisher
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. press — newspapers
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cue — for pool
  13. press — to push
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. perch — the fish
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cue — a hint
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — a trace
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cue — a signal
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — to grow

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