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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: spring · drill · fall · cap · press · saw · lash · bat

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. press — newspapers
  4. fall — to drop
  5. spring — the season
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. cap — a hat
  8. spring — a coil
  9. press — to push
  10. fall — the season
  11. cap — of ice
  12. press — a publisher
  13. drill — the tool
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cap — a lid
  17. fall — to drop
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. drill — army training
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bat — the animal
  23. spring — of water
  24. drill — a practice

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