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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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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 · staff · patient · track · wake · prune · face · band

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — a path
  3. prune — to trim
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — to push
  6. band — a ring
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. face — to point toward
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. face — to confront
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. press — a publisher
  17. staff — employees
  18. face — part of the head
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. prune — to trim
  21. band — a music group
  22. track — to keep track
  23. staff — employees
  24. wake — a trail

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