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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: press · spell · stem · mark · pound · pitcher · current · lean

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. current — of water
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — a grade
  5. spell — magic
  6. press — to push
  7. current — electric
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — to bend
  10. spell — letters
  11. lean — thin
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. press — a publisher
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. spell — a short time
  19. current — happening now
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — a weight

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