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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
468
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: season · fan · board · press · bear · spell · root · current

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. press — a publisher
  3. season — of the year
  4. current — happening now
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. root — of a word
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a committee
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. root — the cause
  16. press — newspapers
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. root — of a plant
  21. press — to push
  22. current — of water
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. current — electric

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