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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: face · press · wake · cell · staff · chest

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. press — a publisher
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. chest — a box
  5. cell — in biology
  6. chest — of your body
  7. staff — employees
  8. face — to point toward
  9. staff — employees
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wake — a trail
  12. face — to confront
  13. cell — a phone
  14. face — part of the head
  15. press — to push
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. press — newspapers
  18. staff — a stick

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