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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: mug · board · prune · face · date · shower · chair · press

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. press — to push
  4. face — part of the head
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. face — to point toward
  7. shower — to wash
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mug — a face
  11. prune — to trim
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. mug — a cup
  14. face — to confront
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. press — a publisher
  17. board — a committee
  18. press — newspapers
  19. board — to get on
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. shower — rain
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. mug — to rob

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