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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: drill · wave · press · date · face · content · chair · craft

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. face — to confront
  3. press — to push
  4. craft — a skill
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. press — newspapers
  11. content — the amount
  12. face — part of the head
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. drill — the tool
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. craft — boats
  18. face — to point toward
  19. drill — a practice
  20. content — happy
  21. press — a publisher
  22. date — the fruit
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. drill — army training

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