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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.

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: net · spell · rest · press · bowl · land · lash · cap

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. net — in sport
  5. rest — what's left
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. press — to push
  9. spell — letters
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. cap — a hat
  12. net — for catching
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. spell — magic
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. net — after costs
  18. press — a publisher
  19. land — ground
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. land — a country
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. press — newspapers
  24. cap — a lid

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