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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.

Make a worksheet

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: spell · hide · roll · coach · cold · bark · root · press

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. roll — a list
  4. spell — letters
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — to push
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. spell — a short time
  9. roll — a cake
  10. root — the cause
  11. press — a publisher
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. cold — an illness
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cold — not warm
  19. root — of a plant
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bark — to shout
  22. spell — magic
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. root — of a word

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