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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 · root · bat · press · chest · object · hide · tube

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. press — a publisher
  3. tube — a container
  4. press — to push
  5. chest — of your body
  6. object — a thing
  7. object — to protest
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. root — the cause
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bat — the animal
  14. chest — a box
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. root — of a word
  18. object — an aim
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. root — of a plant
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. chest — of your body
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. lash — to lash out

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