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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: bay · net · press · hide · rash · pop · toast · spring

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — music
  7. press — to push
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. net — after costs
  11. press — newspapers
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. rash — hasty
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. press — a publisher
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. spring — of water
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. pop — to visit
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. rash — a series

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