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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: rash · wave · straw · kid · last · pass · press · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. kid — child
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pass — a permit
  9. last — finally
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — a series
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. press — to push
  16. press — newspapers
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. mine — for digging
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. kid — to tease

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