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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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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: tear · charge · press · net · bulb · mark · root · stand

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. charge — electricity
  3. press — newspapers
  4. charge — a price
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. tear — from crying
  10. root — the cause
  11. bulb — for light
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. charge — in control
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stand — to bear
  19. net — in sport
  20. root — of a plant
  21. press — to push
  22. net — for catching
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. root — of a word

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