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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: hide · ball · press · bound · spring · rush · rash · kick

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bound — obliged
  5. ball — a dance
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. spring — a coil
  10. press — newspapers
  11. rash — a series
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bound — tied together
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. press — to push
  18. rash — hasty
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. press — a publisher
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — in football

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