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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 116 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: net · trunk · pound · press · fall · straw · face · pass

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. face — to point toward
  3. press — to push
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. face — to confront
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. net — for catching
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. net — after costs
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. fall — to drop
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. fall — to drop
  16. net — in sport
  17. face — part of the head
  18. fall — the season
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. pass — a permit
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. press — newspapers
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — to hit hard

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