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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 · fan · dip · press · shower · foot · stand · bound

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. foot — a measure
  4. face — part of the head
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bound — certain
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bound — tied together
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. dip — to sink
  13. press — newspapers
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stand — to bear
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. shower — rain
  18. face — to point toward
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. press — to push
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bound — obliged
  23. foot — the bottom
  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