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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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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — letters
  4. press — to push
  5. face — to point toward
  6. foot — a measure
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. prune — to trim
  14. face — to confront
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. spell — a short time
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — newspapers
  21. mine — for digging
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wake — a trail

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