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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ground · face · cold · trunk · stand · press · pitcher · lash

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. ground — crushed
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. press — newspapers
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. cold — not warm
  10. face — to point toward
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stand — to bear
  14. press — a publisher
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. press — to push
  18. face — part of the head
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. ground — a position
  21. cold — an illness
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. ground — the earth
  24. face — to confront

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