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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: land · season · face · band · press · trunk · shower · snap

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. press — newspapers
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. land — ground
  7. band — a ring
  8. land — to come down
  9. press — a publisher
  10. land — a country
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. shower — rain
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. face — to point toward
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. snap — to click
  21. band — a music group
  22. press — to push
  23. face — to confront
  24. shower — to wash

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