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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: trunk · face · lash · board · rush · content · ball · press

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a dance
  5. content — the amount
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. press — newspapers
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — to point toward
  13. board — to get on
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. press — a publisher
  16. content — happy
  17. board — a committee
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. press — to push
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. face — part of the head
  24. trunk — of a car

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