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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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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: lie · lash · bat · march · bank · bound · object · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. object — to protest
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — the animal
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bank — for money
  8. object — an aim
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. press — to push
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. march — the month
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bank — for money
  16. object — a thing
  17. march — the month
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bank — of a river
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. bound — obliged
  22. march — music
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bound — certain

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