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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.

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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: lash · wax · net · press · coach · kick · nail · hand

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. press — to push
  6. hand — in cards
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. wax — to grow
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. net — after costs
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. hand — help
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. net — in sport
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. net — for catching
  23. kick — in football
  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