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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: mark · press · cold · net · cap · ruler · bank · spell

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. spell — magic
  3. net — in sport
  4. press — to push
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. press — a publisher
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — of ice
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. spell — letters
  15. bank — for money
  16. spell — a short time
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. press — newspapers
  23. mark — a grade
  24. cap — a lid

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