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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: march · spring · cell · pass · kick · press · dip · plane

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. dip — to sink
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. spring — of water
  7. cell — in biology
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. press — newspapers
  10. plane — a tool
  11. kick — in football
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — a permit
  16. march — the month
  17. cell — a phone
  18. press — to push
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — a coil
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. cell — in a prison

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