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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: craft · tear · face · fan · lean · press · prune · patient

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. press — to push
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. lean — thin
  5. tear — to rip
  6. lean — to bend
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. craft — boats
  9. face — part of the head
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. face — to confront
  12. press — newspapers
  13. craft — a skill
  14. press — a publisher
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. tear — from crying
  17. prune — to trim
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. face — to point toward
  24. tear — from crying

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