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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: spell · bound · rush · net · press · rash · board · root

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. press — to push
  3. board — to get on
  4. spell — magic
  5. rash — hasty
  6. press — a publisher
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. rush — hurry
  9. board — a committee
  10. root — the cause
  11. bound — certain
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bound — obliged
  15. rash — a series
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. net — for catching
  18. press — newspapers
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. net — after costs
  21. bound — tied together
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — of a plant
  24. net — in sport

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