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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 116 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: press · tear · fine · lash · hand · mate · pop · cap

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a lid
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mate — a friend
  7. fine — all right
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. pop — music
  10. tear — to rip
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. tear — from crying
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. tear — from crying
  15. press — a publisher
  16. cap — a hat
  17. hand — in cards
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pop — to visit
  20. fine — high quality
  21. pop — soda
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. hand — help
  24. press — to push

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