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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: root · safe · rash · press · bark · cap · spell · season

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bark — to shout
  6. spell — a short time
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. season — in sport
  10. press — a publisher
  11. root — of a plant
  12. press — newspapers
  13. root — of a word
  14. cap — a lid
  15. spell — magic
  16. season — of the year
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. press — to push
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. cap — of ice
  21. rash — a series
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. root — the cause
  24. rash — hasty

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