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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: root · last · press · charge · key · mark · land · staff

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. charge — electricity
  3. last — to go on
  4. land — to come down
  5. staff — a stick
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — a publisher
  8. charge — a price
  9. staff — employees
  10. root — of a word
  11. land — a country
  12. charge — in control
  13. key — for a lock
  14. land — ground
  15. key — in music
  16. root — of a plant
  17. staff — employees
  18. mark — a trace
  19. key — the most important part
  20. mark — a grade
  21. root — the cause
  22. last — finally
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. last — final

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