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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: press · cap · spell · tear · snap · rush · content · lean

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. cap — of ice
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. spell — letters
  5. press — newspapers
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. press — a publisher
  8. tear — to rip
  9. cap — a hat
  10. tear — from crying
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. cap — a lid
  14. content — happy
  15. tear — from crying
  16. snap — to click
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to bend
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. press — to push
  23. spell — magic
  24. content — the amount

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