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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · patient · race · foot · bass · face · press · march

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bass — low music
  3. press — a publisher
  4. face — part of the head
  5. march — the month
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. march — music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. march — the month
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. face — to confront
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. race — a contest
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. race — the arms race
  17. press — newspapers
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. race — humankind
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. face — to point toward
  23. press — to push
  24. patient — a sick person

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