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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: bear · rock · tube · pass · press · pitcher · face · trunk

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. rock — music
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — to point toward
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. tube — the underground
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. face — part of the head
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. press — to push
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bear — the animal
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. rock — a stone
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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