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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: key · press · face · lean · pitcher · clip · shower · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. key — in music
  3. shower — to wash
  4. press — newspapers
  5. lean — to bend
  6. key — the most important part
  7. shower — rain
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. key — for a lock
  12. field — for sport
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. lean — thin
  15. field — a subject
  16. press — a publisher
  17. clip — to cut
  18. face — to confront
  19. clip — a video
  20. face — to point toward
  21. clip — for paper
  22. press — to push
  23. face — part of the head
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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