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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · coach · march · arm · bulb · root · press · season

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. face — to confront
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. press — a publisher
  5. root — the cause
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. march — the month
  9. press — to push
  10. root — of a word
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. march — music
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. root — of a plant
  16. press — newspapers
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bulb — for light
  19. season — of the year
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. march — the month
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. season — in sport

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