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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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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: fork · lash · shower · chest · kick · tear · dip · press

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fork — in a road
  7. tear — from crying
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. tear — to rip
  12. kick — in football
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. chest — of your body
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. shower — rain
  19. press — newspapers
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. press — to push
  22. chest — of your body
  23. shower — to wash
  24. press — a publisher

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