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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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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: rash · wound · press · lean · rule · snap · bat · bore

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rash — hasty
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bore — to tire
  9. rule — government
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bore — to drill
  15. wound — an injury
  16. press — a publisher
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. snap — to click
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. press — to push
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — thin

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