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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. bark — to shout
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. press — a publisher
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lean — to bend
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. rash — a series
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. lean — thin
  20. wound — an injury
  21. press — to push
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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