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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 116 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: press · pop · rock · spring · snap · saw · lash · kick

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. snap — to click
  6. press — newspapers
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. spring — the season
  10. pop — soda
  11. spring — a coil
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. kick — in football
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rock — music
  19. spring — of water
  20. press — to push
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. press — a publisher
  23. rock — a stone
  24. pop — to visit

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