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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: lean · roll · face · nail · fan · club · bat · press

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. roll — a cake
  5. face — part of the head
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. press — a publisher
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. club — for golf
  12. press — to push
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. face — to confront
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bat — the animal
  18. lean — to bend
  19. club — a group
  20. roll — a list
  21. club — for dancing
  22. lean — thin
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. roll — on a roll

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