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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pass — a permit
  3. press — a publisher
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. press — newspapers
  6. band — a music group
  7. land — ground
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. press — to push
  12. band — a ring
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. tear — to rip
  15. season — of the year
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. land — to come down
  21. face — to point toward
  22. season — in sport
  23. tear — from crying
  24. land — a country

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