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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. band — a music group
  3. object — a thing
  4. prune — to trim
  5. face — to point toward
  6. press — to push
  7. prune — to trim
  8. face — to confront
  9. snap — to click
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. object — to protest
  13. press — newspapers
  14. kid — child
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. face — part of the head
  18. band — a ring
  19. press — a publisher
  20. kid — to tease
  21. tube — a container
  22. object — an aim
  23. tube — the underground
  24. band — a rubber band

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