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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. press — to push
  13. wake — a trail
  14. dip — to sink
  15. land — a country
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. roll — a cake
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. press — a publisher
  22. roll — a list
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. dip — to dunk

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