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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. press — to push
  4. tear — from crying
  5. charge — electricity
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. press — newspapers
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. press — a publisher
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. charge — a price
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. tear — from crying
  19. charge — in control
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. tear — to rip
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. pound — a weight

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