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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: lash · firm · bat · staff · cold · hide · press · wake

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bat — the animal
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. press — newspapers
  6. firm — steady
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. press — to push
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. staff — employees
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — an illness
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. staff — employees
  20. firm — a company
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. firm — decided
  23. press — a publisher
  24. cold — not warm

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