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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: mug · face · press · field · trunk · wax · pitch · drill

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. face — to point toward
  3. press — to push
  4. drill — the tool
  5. press — a publisher
  6. field — for sport
  7. drill — army training
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. drill — a practice
  11. field — farmland
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. press — newspapers
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — a face
  17. wax — to grow
  18. field — a subject
  19. face — part of the head
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. face — to confront
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. mug — to rob

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