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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.

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: face · wake · press · march · squash · toast · plane · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. press — a publisher
  3. march — the month
  4. plane — a tool
  5. march — music
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. press — newspapers
  8. face — to confront
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. squash — to crush
  11. face — to point toward
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. toast — bread
  14. squash — the sport
  15. face — part of the head
  16. press — to push
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. wake — a trail
  22. march — the month
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. wake — before a funeral

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