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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.

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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: press · cap · board · cold · lash · bound · stick · lie

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. press — to push
  3. press — newspapers
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bound — certain
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. board — to get on
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. press — a publisher
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bound — tied together
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. cap — of ice
  22. board — a committee
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cold — an illness

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