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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. object — a thing
  3. press — a publisher
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. face — part of the head
  6. object — to protest
  7. land — ground
  8. object — an aim
  9. lean — thin
  10. squash — to crush
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. squash — the sport
  14. press — to push
  15. lean — to bend
  16. land — to come down
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. press — newspapers
  21. face — to confront
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. land — a country

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