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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: stick · lash · fork · cold · wax · press · patient · fine

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. press — to push
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — not warm
  9. press — newspapers
  10. fine — all right
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fork — in a road
  16. wax — to grow
  17. press — a publisher
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. cold — an illness

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