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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: foot · cold · press · fork · bulb · lash · hide · spring

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. spring — a coil
  8. press — to push
  9. bulb — for light
  10. press — newspapers
  11. spring — the season
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. cold — not warm
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. press — a publisher
  19. spring — of water
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. fork — in a road
  22. cold — an illness
  23. foot — a measure
  24. lash — to lash out

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