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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: stock · ruler · spell · content · season · bark · saw · press

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. press — a publisher
  3. spell — a short time
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. spell — letters
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. saw — the tool
  10. press — newspapers
  11. content — happy
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. spell — magic
  14. stock — shares
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. season — of the year
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. press — to push
  19. content — the amount
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. stock — goods
  22. bark — to shout
  23. season — in sport
  24. saw — the tool

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