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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
468
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 · hide · ground · capital · tube · lash · season · file

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. press — a publisher
  3. ground — a position
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. capital — money
  10. ground — the earth
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. season — of the year
  14. file — a line of people
  15. ground — crushed
  16. capital — a city
  17. file — a document
  18. press — newspapers
  19. tube — a container
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. season — in sport
  22. file — a tool
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. press — to push

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