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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rock · cell · deal · spell · arm · ground · rush

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. spell — a short time
  3. rock — a stone
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. rush — hurry
  6. press — to push
  7. spell — magic
  8. ground — a position
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. press — newspapers
  15. cell — in biology
  16. ground — crushed
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. spell — letters
  19. press — a publisher
  20. deal — to handle
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. cell — a phone
  24. ground — the earth

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