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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: mine · deal · press · face · foot · wind · plane · wound

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. plane — a tool
  3. wound — an injury
  4. press — to push
  5. face — part of the head
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. deal — to handle
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. face — to point toward
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. foot — a measure
  19. press — newspapers
  20. face — to confront
  21. press — a publisher
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. mine — for digging

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