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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: face · fan · wind · vault · press · object · trunk · firm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. face — to confront
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. wind — moving air
  6. object — an aim
  7. firm — decided
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. object — a thing
  12. press — a publisher
  13. vault — a safe
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. wind — moving air
  17. object — to protest
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. face — part of the head
  20. firm — steady
  21. face — to point toward
  22. press — to push
  23. press — newspapers
  24. fan — to cool the 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