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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: lean · fall · press · ball · lash · arm · ground · cold

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. ground — the earth
  3. press — newspapers
  4. lean — thin
  5. ball — a dance
  6. press — to push
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. press — a publisher
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lean — to bend
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ground — a position
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — the Cold War

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