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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: roll · hide · bulb · tear · kick · pop · press · rush

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — a list
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rush — hurry
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. tear — from crying
  10. press — a publisher
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. press — to push
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. pop — to visit
  16. kick — in football
  17. bulb — for light
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. press — newspapers
  22. pop — music
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. pop — soda

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