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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 116 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: clip · cold · ground · dip · leaves · face · press · wax

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. press — newspapers
  3. face — part of the head
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. face — to point toward
  6. clip — to cut
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. ground — a position
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. press — a publisher
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. ground — the earth
  17. dip — to sink
  18. ground — crushed
  19. face — to confront
  20. press — to push
  21. clip — a video
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — not warm
  24. wax — to grow

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