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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 120 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: press · pound · wind · net · firm · lash · mark · kid

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. net — in sport
  4. kid — child
  5. mark — a grade
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. firm — decided
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. press — to push
  11. press — a publisher
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mark — a trace
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. firm — steady
  19. press — newspapers
  20. kid — to tease
  21. pound — a weight
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. firm — a company
  24. pound — for dogs

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