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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: lash · pass · cabinet · land · press · chest · lean · shower

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. lean — to bend
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. shower — rain
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — newspapers
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. land — ground
  14. lean — thin
  15. press — to push
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. shower — to wash
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. land — a country
  20. pass — a permit
  21. chest — a box
  22. land — to come down
  23. chest — of your body
  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