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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: lie · press · face · tube · perch · band

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — the underground
  3. press — to push
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. face — to point toward
  7. band — a ring
  8. face — part of the head
  9. perch — the fish
  10. lie — to recline
  11. press — a publisher
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. band — a music group
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. face — to confront
  17. press — newspapers
  18. tube — in a tire

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