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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. rash — hasty
  3. press — a publisher
  4. plane — a tool
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. lean — thin
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. face — part of the head
  12. race — humankind
  13. rash — a series
  14. press — to push
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. press — newspapers
  18. race — the arms race
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. race — a contest
  21. face — to confront
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. kick — in football
  24. pound — a weight

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