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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: trunk · face · pass · perch · root · press · tube · wind

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. root — the cause
  5. face — part of the head
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. press — newspapers
  10. face — to confront
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pass — a permit
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. root — of a word
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. tube — the underground
  21. wind — moving air
  22. tube — a container
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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