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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: squash · field · stand · game · deal · wax · press · face

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. squash — to crush
  5. face — to point toward
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. press — a publisher
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to confront
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. game — wild animals
  12. squash — the sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. press — newspapers
  15. field — a subject
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. game — a match
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. press — to push
  20. wax — to grow
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. field — for 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