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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to confront
  3. press — to push
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. face — to point toward
  6. shower — rain
  7. ground — a position
  8. spell — letters
  9. press — a publisher
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. spell — magic
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. ground — the earth
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. branch — a division
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. press — newspapers
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. spell — a short time
  22. ground — crushed
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. shower — to wash

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