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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.

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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: press · craft · pit · can · bear · wave · face · hide

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. pit — a hole
  4. press — newspapers
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. face — to point toward
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — boats
  13. face — part of the head
  14. press — to push
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. face — to confront
  21. pit — in a race
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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