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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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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: pop · mine · face · lie · staff · shower · clip · press

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — music
  4. face — to point toward
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. shower — to wash
  9. clip — to cut
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. clip — a video
  12. press — newspapers
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. press — to push
  15. face — part of the head
  16. shower — rain
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. press — a publisher
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. clip — for paper
  21. pop — soda
  22. face — to confront
  23. mine — for digging
  24. lie — to recline

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