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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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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: tear · cabinet · face · kick · press · bark

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. tear — from crying
  4. face — to confront
  5. bark — to shout
  6. tear — to rip
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — to push
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. face — part of the head
  17. kick — in football
  18. kick — a thrill

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