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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 · fork · track · pitcher · fall · wound · face · wind

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. press — a publisher
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. track — a path
  7. fall — to drop
  8. face — to confront
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. face — to point toward
  12. fall — the season
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fork — in a road
  18. track — a song
  19. wound — an injury
  20. track — to keep track
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. press — to push
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wind — moving air

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