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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.

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 · rash · lash · roll · kick · lean · cold · mine

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. press — a publisher
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. lean — to bend
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lean — thin
  9. kick — in football
  10. rash — hasty
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. press — to push
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. roll — a list
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. mine — for digging
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. rash — a series
  22. roll — a cake
  23. press — newspapers
  24. lash — an eyelash

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