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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: press · charge · rock · bay · chest · spring · land · fine

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — music
  4. land — a country
  5. chest — a box
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. fine — high quality
  9. land — ground
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. charge — a price
  14. land — to come down
  15. charge — electricity
  16. fine — all right
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. spring — a coil
  20. press — to push
  21. chest — of your body
  22. charge — in control
  23. press — newspapers
  24. fine — a penalty

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