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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.

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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. press — to push
  8. stem — to come from
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. press — newspapers
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. staff — employees
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. press — a publisher
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. scale — for weighing

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