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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: lash · scale · nail · content · stand · tear · press · wound

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. wound — an injury
  5. press — newspapers
  6. content — happy
  7. content — the amount
  8. tear — from crying
  9. press — a publisher
  10. stand — to bear
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wound — an injury
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. tear — to rip
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. press — to push
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. scale — size or range
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. tear — from crying

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