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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. rash — a series
  3. press — a publisher
  4. present — there
  5. rash — hasty
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. press — newspapers
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. present — a gift
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bear — the animal
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. present — the time now
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bear — the animal

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