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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 120 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: season · row · stem · bulb · press · cap · spell · rule

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — to push
  4. press — newspapers
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. rule — government
  10. cap — a hat
  11. spell — letters
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. spell — magic
  14. cap — of ice
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. row — to paddle
  17. cap — a lid
  18. spell — a short time
  19. stem — to come from
  20. rule — a law
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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