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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 116 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: field · key · mark · face · lean · press · rock · shower

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — in music
  3. rock — music
  4. field — for sport
  5. mark — a grade
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. press — to push
  11. shower — rain
  12. lean — to bend
  13. key — the most important part
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. press — a publisher
  16. face — to confront
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — farmland
  19. press — newspapers
  20. lean — thin
  21. face — to point toward
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. mark — a trace
  24. face — part of the head

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