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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. ground — a position
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — thin
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. tear — from crying
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. prune — to trim
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. press — to push
  12. last — to go on
  13. face — to point toward
  14. tear — to rip
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to confront
  18. snap — to click
  19. prune — to trim
  20. last — finally
  21. lean — to bend
  22. tear — from crying
  23. last — final
  24. press — a publisher

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