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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: band · ground · bulb · face · press · leaves · spring · rock

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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. leaves — of a tree
  4. spring — a coil
  5. press — to push
  6. rock — music
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bulb — for light
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — to point toward
  12. rock — a stone
  13. ground — crushed
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bulb — for light
  16. ground — the earth
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a music group
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. face — part of the head
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — of water
  23. ground — a position
  24. bulb — of a plant

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