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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: rock · dip · lean · press · land · bore · face · prune

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bore — to tire
  4. press — to push
  5. rock — a stone
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — part of the head
  8. dip — to sink
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — thin
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. lean — to bend
  14. land — to come down
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bore — to drill
  18. face — to confront
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. prune — to trim
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — a publisher
  23. rock — music
  24. land — a country

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