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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · face · wound · press · ball · object

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. face — to confront
  3. object — an aim
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. press — a publisher
  7. wound — an injury
  8. press — to push
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. row — to paddle
  13. ball — a great time
  14. press — newspapers
  15. object — to protest
  16. row — a line
  17. wound — an injury
  18. object — a thing

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