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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: ground · last · lash · press · foot · stem · present · stick

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. foot — a measure
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. last — finally
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. ground — a position
  11. present — there
  12. press — a publisher
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. ground — the earth
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. press — newspapers
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — a gift
  20. ground — crushed
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. press — to push
  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