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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: perch · roll · press · cap · staff · mark · hand · spell

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — newspapers
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cap — a lid
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. roll — a cake
  9. staff — a stick
  10. spell — a short time
  11. mark — a trace
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. spell — magic
  15. perch — the fish
  16. cap — of ice
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. staff — employees
  19. spell — letters
  20. press — a publisher
  21. cap — a hat
  22. staff — employees
  23. mark — a grade
  24. roll — a list

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