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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: spell · press · perch · snap · chest · bank · court · lash

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. spell — letters
  3. bank — for money
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. chest — of your body
  6. court — for sport
  7. spell — a short time
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bank — for money
  12. court — of a king
  13. bank — of a river
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. chest — a box
  16. court — of law
  17. press — to push
  18. snap — to click
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. spell — magic
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — newspapers
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. chest — of your body

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