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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. press — newspapers
  3. bore — to drill
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. squash — the sport
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. mark — a trace
  9. date — the fruit
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. face — part of the head
  14. press — to push
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mark — a grade
  17. cold — an illness
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. squash — to crush
  20. press — a publisher
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. branch — a division
  23. bore — to tire
  24. cold — not warm

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