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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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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: pound · trunk · press · band · face · race · saw · content

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. saw — past of 'see'
  2. race — the arms race
  3. press — to push
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. face — part of the head
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. content — happy
  11. face — to point toward
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. face — to confront
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. saw — the tool
  18. race — a contest
  19. band — a ring
  20. pound — a weight
  21. content — the amount
  22. press — newspapers
  23. race — humankind
  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