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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 116 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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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: fork · press · lash · bank · can · rule · bat · snap

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. snap — to click
  3. can — to be able to
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — to push
  7. can — a tin
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — a law
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bank — for money
  19. bat — the animal
  20. press — a publisher
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bat — in an idiom

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