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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: trunk · plane · press · face · season · wound · rush · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. wound — an injury
  3. plane — a tool
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. season — of the year
  7. press — to push
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. club — for golf
  13. press — newspapers
  14. season — in sport
  15. press — a publisher
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. rush — hurry
  18. face — part of the head
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. club — a group
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. trunk — of a tree

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