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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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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: season · wake · prune · nail · face · perch · drill · press

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. press — a publisher
  3. drill — army training
  4. perch — the fish
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — a trail
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. press — newspapers
  9. drill — a practice
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. face — part of the head
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. season — in sport
  17. press — to push
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. drill — the tool
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. season — of the year
  24. face — to confront

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