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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: press · rash · cell · march · hide · shower · calf · pass

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. cell — in biology
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. rash — a series
  5. shower — to wash
  6. march — music
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. press — to push
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. march — the month
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. shower — rain
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. cell — a phone
  19. press — newspapers
  20. rash — hasty
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. pass — a permit
  24. march — the month

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