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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 124 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bank — for money
  4. face — part of the head
  5. press — to push
  6. last — finally
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. face — to confront
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. last — final
  13. press — newspapers
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. spring — the season
  16. bank — of a river
  17. press — a publisher
  18. spring — of water
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bank — for money
  22. face — to point toward
  23. last — to go on
  24. nail — on a finger

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