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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 116 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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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: game · fork · straw · press · mug · stand · wave · lash

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. press — to push
  4. press — newspapers
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. press — a publisher
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. game — a match
  11. fork — in a road
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mug — to rob
  15. game — wild animals
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. stand — to bear
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. mug — a cup
  24. fork — a garden tool

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