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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: hide · wake · press · lash · coach · bat · stem · current

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. press — newspapers
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — electric
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bat — the animal
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. current — of water
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. press — to push
  20. wake — a trail
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. coach — a trainer

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