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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 120 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: press · stick · face · coach · hand · wound · sharp · straw

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. face — to confront
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. press — to push
  6. face — part of the head
  7. press — a publisher
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. press — newspapers
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wound — an injury
  23. face — to point toward
  24. sharp — clever

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