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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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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: cap · press · arm · face · lean · safe · clip · band

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. band — a music group
  6. clip — a video
  7. band — a ring
  8. face — to confront
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. press — to push
  13. cap — a lid
  14. face — part of the head
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. press — newspapers
  17. clip — to cut
  18. lean — to bend
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cap — of ice
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. cap — a hat
  24. clip — for paper

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