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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: stick · lie · trunk · press · lash · swing · shower · safe

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. swing — in golf
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — newspapers
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. swing — music
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. swing — to play on
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. press — to push
  22. lie — to recline
  23. shower — rain
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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