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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 116 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
468
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 · press · plane · cue · fine · bark · bound · wind

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. plane — a tool
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bound — tied together
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bound — obliged
  8. press — newspapers
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fine — all right
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. cue — for pool
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. cue — a hint
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. face — to confront
  18. cue — a signal
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bound — certain
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. press — to push
  24. face — part of the head

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