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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: press · bass · leaves · wind · game · face · foot · trunk

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wind — moving air
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wind — moving air
  11. press — newspapers
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — to confront
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bass — the fish
  18. game — a match
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bass — low music
  21. foot — a measure
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. face — part of the head
  24. press — to push

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