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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: mouse · hide · spring · ground · press · rash · present · chip

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. spring — of water
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rash — a series
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. spring — the season
  11. press — newspapers
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. chip — to eat
  14. press — to push
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. present — the time now
  17. chip — for betting
  18. press — a publisher
  19. present — there
  20. ground — the earth
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. rash — hasty
  23. present — a gift
  24. spring — a coil

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