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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 120 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: pitcher · rest · field · coach · mine · bear · press · charge

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. press — a publisher
  3. charge — a price
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. field — a subject
  13. charge — in control
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. field — for sport
  18. press — to push
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mine — for digging
  21. charge — electricity
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. field — farmland
  24. rest — a break

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