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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.

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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: hide · chair · bowl · press · present · plane · date · tear

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. chair — a leader
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. plane — a tool
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. press — to push
  12. date — the fruit
  13. present — there
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. present — the time now
  16. tear — from crying
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. present — a gift

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