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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: tear · press · hand · cabinet · pass · prune · bay · face

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. hand — help
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. face — to confront
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. face — to point toward
  14. press — newspapers
  15. tear — from crying
  16. hand — in cards
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — a permit
  20. face — part of the head
  21. press — to push
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. tear — from crying

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