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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: degree · cue · lash · press · stand · face · wound · ground

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to confront
  3. degree — from a university
  4. cue — a signal
  5. degree — an amount
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. degree — temperature
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. ground — a position
  10. cue — a hint
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — newspapers
  13. cue — for pool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ground — the earth
  16. stand — to bear
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. ground — crushed
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. face — to point toward
  22. press — to push
  23. stand — for spectators
  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