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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: bound · press · stand · face · lash · ground · stick · snap

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. face — part of the head
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — to point toward
  6. ground — crushed
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. snap — to click
  9. press — a publisher
  10. ground — a position
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. ground — the earth
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. press — newspapers
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bound — tied together
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bound — certain
  19. press — to push
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stand — to bear
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bound — obliged

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