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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
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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: press · spell · season · perch · rash · land · foot · present

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. land — to come down
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. spell — letters
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. foot — a measure
  8. press — a publisher
  9. spell — a short time
  10. perch — the fish
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — in sport
  15. press — newspapers
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. press — to push
  18. rash — a series
  19. land — a country
  20. present — a gift
  21. land — ground
  22. rash — hasty
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — there

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