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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 120 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: kick · craft · object · wind · press · face

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. press — a publisher
  3. face — part of the head
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. wind — moving air
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. object — to protest
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. craft — boats
  10. wind — moving air
  11. face — to point toward
  12. object — a thing
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. face — to confront
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — to push
  18. object — an aim

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