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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. mug — a cup
  4. press — newspapers
  5. face — to confront
  6. fork — in a road
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. face — part of the head
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. band — a ring
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. press — a publisher
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. mug — to rob
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. face — to point toward
  21. mug — a face
  22. band — a music group
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. band — a rubber band

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