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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · present · press · spring · face · tear · board · file

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. present — there
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. face — to point toward
  5. press — to push
  6. spring — of water
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. board — to get on
  9. press — newspapers
  10. face — part of the head
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. board — a committee
  15. press — a publisher
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. face — to confront
  19. file — a document
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. present — the time now
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. present — a gift

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