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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: can · race · snap · tear · lash · stem · bat · press

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. can — a tin
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. tear — from crying
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. press — a publisher
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bat — the animal
  14. press — newspapers
  15. snap — to click
  16. tear — to rip
  17. race — a contest
  18. tear — from crying
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. race — humankind
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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