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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. press — to push
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. tear — from crying
  7. staff — employees
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. staff — employees
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. tear — from crying
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. face — part of the head
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. press — a publisher
  18. face — to confront
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. staff — a stick
  22. face — to point toward
  23. tear — to rip
  24. press — newspapers

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