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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 · press · stick · field · rest · face · club · sharp

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — newspapers
  4. field — a subject
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rest — a break
  9. club — a group
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. rest — what's left
  12. field — for sport
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. press — to push
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — for dancing
  23. rest — what's left
  24. field — farmland

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