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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: wave · rash · mine · mug · press · straw · lash · rush

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. press — a publisher
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. press — to push
  6. press — newspapers
  7. rush — hurry
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — hasty
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mug — to rob
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. mug — a cup
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rash — a series

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