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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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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: ground · bound · press · cap · date · hide · roll · bear

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bound — certain
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. ground — crushed
  5. roll — a cake
  6. press — newspapers
  7. date — the fruit
  8. press — to push
  9. cap — a lid
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. ground — a position
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bear — the animal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — obliged
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. press — a publisher
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. cap — of ice
  23. roll — a list
  24. cap — a hat

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