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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: mine · jam · press · date · hand · wind · hide · race

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — a contest
  6. press — a publisher
  7. wind — moving air
  8. press — to push
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. race — humankind
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. press — newspapers
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wind — moving air
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — belonging to me

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