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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: face · nail · date · net · cabinet · press · lash · bore

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. face — to confront
  6. press — newspapers
  7. face — part of the head
  8. net — for catching
  9. bore — to tire
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. date — the fruit
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. press — to push
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bore — to drill
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — after costs

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