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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: net · march · wave · cap · bass · lash · hide · press

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. march — music
  3. net — for catching
  4. cap — a lid
  5. press — to push
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. net — after costs
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bass — the fish
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. cap — a hat
  13. march — the month
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. cap — of ice
  16. net — in sport
  17. bass — low music
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. press — newspapers
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. march — the month
  24. hide — animal skin

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