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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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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 · bass · trunk · lash · rule · spring · wound · stick

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. spring — the season
  4. bass — the fish
  5. rule — government
  6. press — a publisher
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — low music
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. spring — a coil
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. spring — of water
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. press — newspapers
  21. wound — an injury
  22. press — to push
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. rule — a law

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