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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 116 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: staff · scale · press · fork · face · band · bay · rock

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. scale — in music
  5. face — to confront
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. band — a music group
  8. face — part of the head
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. rock — a stone
  12. staff — employees
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. press — newspapers
  15. fork — in a road
  16. scale — size or range
  17. band — a ring
  18. staff — a stick
  19. rock — music
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. press — to push
  22. face — to point toward
  23. staff — employees
  24. band — a rubber band

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