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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · current · lash · cold · nail · face · spring · press

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  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. spring — a coil
  2. current — electric
  3. spring — the season
  4. press — newspapers
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. cold — an illness
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cold — not warm
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. face — part of the head
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. current — of water
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — to confront
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. press — to push
  22. spring — of water
  23. current — happening now
  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