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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cabinet · tube · press · snap · lash · charge · mine · hide

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. charge — a price
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. press — a publisher
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. charge — in control
  11. press — newspapers
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. charge — electricity
  14. press — to push
  15. mine — for digging
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. tube — the underground
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. tube — a container
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. hide — to keep secret

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