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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: face · cell · press · plane · spring · branch · current · club

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. club — for golf
  4. current — electric
  5. press — newspapers
  6. spring — a coil
  7. press — a publisher
  8. plane — a tool
  9. club — a group
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. face — to point toward
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — a phone
  14. branch — a division
  15. face — to confront
  16. club — for dancing
  17. current — of water
  18. face — part of the head
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. current — happening now
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. branch — of a bank

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