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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: face · rush · spell · press · stem · cold · bark · fine

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — letters
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. press — to push
  6. spell — magic
  7. stem — to come from
  8. fine — all right
  9. cold — an illness
  10. fine — high quality
  11. press — newspapers
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. press — a publisher
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. rush — hurry
  18. cold — not warm
  19. face — part of the head
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. face — to confront
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. face — to point toward

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