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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: vault · arm · rush · stem · cap · press · present · hide

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — a hat
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. stem — to come from
  8. rush — hurry
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. present — a gift
  13. vault — a safe
  14. cap — of ice
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. present — there
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. present — the time now
  23. press — newspapers
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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