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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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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: ball · cap · bark · firm · spell · stem · press · pass

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. press — to push
  3. press — a publisher
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. stem — to come from
  6. cap — of ice
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. firm — decided
  11. cap — a lid
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. ball — a dance
  16. cap — a hat
  17. firm — steady
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. bark — to shout
  22. press — newspapers
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — letters

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