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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 120 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: bark · press · rock · staff · club · hide · face · leaves

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. face — part of the head
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — a group
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. press — a publisher
  9. rock — music
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. face — to confront
  16. bark — to shout
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. press — newspapers
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. rock — a stone
  24. staff — employees

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