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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 124 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: cell · press · hide · net · drill · wave

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. press — a publisher
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. press — to push
  6. net — after costs
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. net — for catching
  10. drill — army training
  11. press — newspapers
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. cell — in biology
  15. net — in sport
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. cell — a phone
  18. drill — a practice

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