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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: march · kick · fall · bay · tube · wound · face · press

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. tube — a container
  3. wound — an injury
  4. press — newspapers
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. tube — the underground
  10. press — to push
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. press — a publisher
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fall — the season
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. face — part of the head
  21. kick — in football
  22. march — the month
  23. face — to confront
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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