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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: face · pass · file · wake · perch · branch · spell · press

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. press — a publisher
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. face — to point toward
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. wake — a trail
  9. press — to push
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. face — part of the head
  12. file — a line of people
  13. press — newspapers
  14. spell — magic
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. spell — a short time
  18. branch — a division
  19. file — a document
  20. pass — a permit
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. perch — the fish
  23. spell — letters
  24. file — a tool

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