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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: lash · dip · saw · cell · mug · pitcher · toast · press

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. mug — a face
  3. cell — a phone
  4. press — to push
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. mug — a cup
  10. cell — in biology
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. toast — bread
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. dip — to sink
  24. mug — to rob

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