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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 · cue · press · calf · hand · field · roll · mouse

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. field — farmland
  3. cue — for pool
  4. press — a publisher
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. hand — in cards
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. field — a subject
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. roll — a list
  12. press — to push
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. press — newspapers
  18. field — for sport
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cue — a signal
  22. roll — a cake
  23. hand — help
  24. calf — of the leg

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