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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 120 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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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 · rock · tear · plane · press · stand · field · wave

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. stand — to bear
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. face — to point toward
  8. field — farmland
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. rock — a stone
  11. press — newspapers
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. field — for sport
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. face — to confront
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — music
  20. plane — a tool
  21. face — part of the head
  22. field — a subject
  23. tear — from crying
  24. press — to push

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