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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: face · pound · trunk · date · press · stem · field · wake

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. date — the fruit
  4. press — a publisher
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. field — for sport
  9. press — to push
  10. face — part of the head
  11. stem — to come from
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. field — a subject
  14. press — newspapers
  15. wake — a trail
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. face — to confront
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. face — to point toward
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. field — farmland
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. date — on the calendar

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