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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · prune · stick · branch · press · bay · mine · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. face — part of the head
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mine — for digging
  6. press — a publisher
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. press — newspapers
  9. face — to point toward
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. game — wild animals
  12. prune — to trim
  13. press — to push
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. branch — a division
  17. face — to confront
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bay — a horse colour

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