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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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. fall — the season
  2. press — newspapers
  3. can — to be able to
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fall — to drop
  7. press — to push
  8. can — a tin
  9. bark — to shout
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. cold — not warm
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. press — a publisher
  19. can — a tin
  20. squash — the sport
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. fall — to drop
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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