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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 · row · cap · spring · mouse · press · stand · bear

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. cap — a lid
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. face — to point toward
  7. cap — a hat
  8. press — a publisher
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — part of the head
  11. stand — to bear
  12. press — to push
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a line
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — of water
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cap — of ice
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bear — the animal

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