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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: press · trunk · face · roll · tear · mine · stock · wound

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. press — newspapers
  4. roll — a cake
  5. mine — for digging
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stock — shares
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. wound — an injury
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. press — a publisher
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. stock — goods
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — to point toward
  21. tear — from crying
  22. press — to push
  23. tear — to rip
  24. roll — a list

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