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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: spell · bark · fine · chair · press · last · fall · land

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. press — newspapers
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — a short time
  5. land — a country
  6. fall — the season
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — final
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. land — to come down
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. fall — to drop
  17. press — to push
  18. fine — high quality
  19. last — finally
  20. spell — magic
  21. bark — to shout
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. fine — all right
  24. land — ground

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