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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: wind · wax · pit · chip · press · present · ruler · season

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pit — in a race
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. wind — moving air
  6. press — newspapers
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. season — of the year
  9. present — there
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. season — in sport
  14. press — to push
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. chip — for betting
  19. press — a publisher
  20. present — the time now
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. chip — to eat
  23. present — a gift
  24. pit — a hole

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