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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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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: cell · wake · race · press · craft · prune · chest · face

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. chest — of your body
  3. press — newspapers
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. press — a publisher
  7. race — humankind
  8. press — to push
  9. prune — to trim
  10. face — to point toward
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. face — to confront
  14. chest — a box
  15. craft — a skill
  16. race — a contest
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. face — part of the head
  20. wake — a trail
  21. craft — boats
  22. cell — in biology
  23. chest — of your body
  24. cell — a phone

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