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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 · bay · prune · face · leaves · press · tube · stick

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  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. tube — a container
  2. face — to confront
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. prune — to trim
  5. press — to push
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. game — a match
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. press — newspapers
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. press — a publisher
  19. prune — to trim
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — the underground
  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