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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: cabinet · face · wake · press · bear · rush · band · field

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. press — newspapers
  3. field — farmland
  4. press — a publisher
  5. face — part of the head
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. face — to confront
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wake — a trail
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a music group
  21. press — to push
  22. face — to point toward
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — a subject

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