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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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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: snap · spring · wake · drill · charge · tube · mark · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. mark — a grade
  5. charge — a price
  6. spring — a coil
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. charge — electricity
  10. drill — a practice
  11. snap — to click
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. drill — the tool
  14. wake — a trail
  15. press — newspapers
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. mark — a trace
  19. tube — the underground
  20. charge — in control
  21. spring — of water
  22. press — to push
  23. drill — army training
  24. spring — the season

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