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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: current · tear · tube · track · rest · press · roll · face

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tear — from crying
  5. face — part of the head
  6. press — newspapers
  7. tear — from crying
  8. current — electric
  9. current — happening now
  10. roll — a list
  11. tube — a container
  12. face — to confront
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. rest — what's left
  15. track — a path
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tear — to rip
  18. current — of water
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. rest — a break
  22. roll — a cake
  23. face — to point toward
  24. rest — what's left

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