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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: current · press · lash · mug · pop · drill · arm · date

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. date — the fruit
  3. pop — to visit
  4. press — to push
  5. mug — a face
  6. current — electric
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. mug — a cup
  11. press — a publisher
  12. current — of water
  13. press — newspapers
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. drill — army training
  18. mug — to rob
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. drill — a practice
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. current — happening now

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