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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: hand · face · fine · hide · press · leaves · club · straw

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. press — a publisher
  4. fine — high quality
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. face — to confront
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. press — newspapers
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. hand — help
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. club — for dancing
  18. hand — in cards
  19. club — for golf
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. club — a group
  22. press — to push
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. face — to point toward

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