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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.

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: prune · field · tear · face · bore · suit · press · key

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. suit — in cards
  4. field — for sport
  5. suit — clothes
  6. face — to confront
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bore — to tire
  9. key — the most important part
  10. tear — from crying
  11. key — in music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. tear — to rip
  14. face — to point toward
  15. suit — to fit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. field — farmland
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. face — part of the head
  21. press — a publisher
  22. tear — from crying
  23. field — a subject
  24. press — newspapers

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