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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: mine · field · last · coach · face · wound · current · press

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. last — to go on
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. field — for sport
  5. last — finally
  6. wound — an injury
  7. field — a subject
  8. face — to confront
  9. current — happening now
  10. wound — an injury
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. current — of water
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. last — final
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. face — to point toward
  17. field — farmland
  18. face — part of the head
  19. current — electric
  20. press — to push
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  24. press — a publisher

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