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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. press — to push
  8. net — in sport
  9. tear — from crying
  10. press — newspapers
  11. can — to be able to
  12. tear — from crying
  13. can — a tin
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. can — a tin
  16. press — a publisher
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. net — after costs
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bulb — for light
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bulb — for light
  24. net — for catching

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