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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: game · face · cold · current · bear · date · press · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. press — to push
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. press — newspapers
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to confront
  8. cold — an illness
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. lean — thin
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bear — the animal
  14. press — a publisher
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bear — the animal
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. game — a match
  20. current — electric
  21. current — of water
  22. date — the fruit
  23. current — happening now
  24. cold — not warm

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