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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: wake · pop · sharp · hide · face · snap · trunk · press

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. press — newspapers
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pop — to visit
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. face — part of the head
  10. press — to push
  11. wake — a trail
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. sharp — clever
  15. press — a publisher
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. pop — soda
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. pop — music
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. face — to point toward
  24. snap — to click

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