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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · press · mark · leaves · trunk · mouse · hide · cold

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. press — newspapers
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. mark — a grade
  12. cold — an illness
  13. press — to push
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. cold — not warm
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. press — a publisher
  22. mark — a trace
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. trunk — of a tree

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