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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.

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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: last · current · prune · face · chair · plane · press · bat

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. face — to confront
  4. chair — a leader
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. last — finally
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. press — to push
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — part of the head
  12. prune — to trim
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bat — the animal
  16. current — electric
  17. last — final
  18. prune — to trim
  19. current — happening now
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. last — to go on
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. prune — the fruit

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