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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: wave · stem · charge · degree · spell · press · spring · stock

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — in control
  4. stock — shares
  5. press — a publisher
  6. spell — letters
  7. press — newspapers
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. degree — an amount
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. spring — the season
  14. press — to push
  15. stock — goods
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. spring — of water
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — temperature
  21. spring — a coil
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. charge — electricity
  24. spell — a short time

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