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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: bound · press · last · land · lash · cabinet · drill · stock

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. last — finally
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. drill — the tool
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. press — to push
  7. land — ground
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. stock — shares
  10. bound — tied together
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. drill — army training
  14. bound — certain
  15. last — to go on
  16. bound — obliged
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. stock — goods
  19. press — a publisher
  20. last — final
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. drill — a practice
  24. press — newspapers

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