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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: present · can · lean · press · spell · pass · field · foot

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. present — there
  3. spell — letters
  4. lean — thin
  5. field — a subject
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. can — a tin
  8. press — to push
  9. press — newspapers
  10. spell — magic
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pass — a permit
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. lean — to bend
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. field — for sport
  17. spell — a short time
  18. present — the time now
  19. field — farmland
  20. present — a gift
  21. can — to be able to
  22. press — a publisher
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. can — a tin

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