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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 116 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 · cell · press · tear · mark · stick · rush · game

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. tear — from crying
  4. press — newspapers
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. cell — a phone
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. cell — in biology
  14. press — a publisher
  15. rush — hurry
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. tear — to rip
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. press — to push
  22. mark — a grade
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. mark — a trace

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