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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 · lash · lean · bark · squash · field · stem · drill

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bark — to shout
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. drill — army training
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. press — a publisher
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lean — thin
  12. drill — the tool
  13. press — to push
  14. lean — to bend
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — for sport
  18. stem — to come from
  19. drill — a practice
  20. squash — the sport
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. squash — to crush
  24. press — newspapers

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