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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 120 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: row · spring · last · cell · nail · lash · fall · press

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. row — to paddle
  3. press — to push
  4. row — a line
  5. fall — the season
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. spring — a coil
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. cell — in biology
  12. fall — to drop
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. spring — the season
  17. last — finally
  18. press — a publisher
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. press — newspapers
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spring — of water
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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