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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: snap · season · cabinet · craft · field · press · lash · kick

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. snap — to click
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. press — a publisher
  6. field — farmland
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. press — to push
  9. season — in sport
  10. kick — in football
  11. press — newspapers
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. craft — boats
  15. season — of the year
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. field — a subject
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. craft — a skill
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. field — for sport
  24. craft — a handicraft

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