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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: mug · arm · chip · saw · bank · press · cell · lash

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  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. lash — an eyelash
  2. bank — for money
  3. cell — a phone
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a face
  7. bank — of a river
  8. press — newspapers
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. press — to push
  11. press — a publisher
  12. chip — to eat
  13. saw — the tool
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. saw — the tool
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. chip — for betting
  20. mug — a cup
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bank — for money
  23. cell — in biology
  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