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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. sharp — clever
  5. press — to push
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bark — to shout
  8. land — a country
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. saw — the tool
  11. press — newspapers
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. saw — the tool
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — an illness
  18. land — to come down
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. press — a publisher
  23. land — ground
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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