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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 116 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: bowl · spell · prune · snap · press · rash · spring · lean

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. lean — to bend
  3. spell — letters
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. press — to push
  12. spring — a coil
  13. prune — to trim
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. lean — thin
  16. rash — a series
  17. snap — to click
  18. spring — the season
  19. press — newspapers
  20. rash — hasty
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. spring — of water
  23. press — a publisher
  24. prune — to trim

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