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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 · mark · cold · firm · hide · band · press · nail

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. press — a publisher
  4. cold — an illness
  5. firm — steady
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. spell — a short time
  8. band — a ring
  9. spell — magic
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. mark — a grade
  12. press — to push
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mark — a trace
  15. band — a music group
  16. cold — not warm
  17. firm — a company
  18. press — newspapers
  19. firm — decided
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. spell — letters
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. band — a rubber band

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