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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: bark · scale · charge · press · staff · lie · stand · cell

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. press — newspapers
  3. cell — a phone
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. charge — a price
  8. press — to push
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. staff — employees
  11. bark — to shout
  12. charge — electricity
  13. scale — size or range
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cell — in biology
  16. lie — to recline
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. staff — employees
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. stand — to bear
  21. press — a publisher
  22. charge — in control
  23. staff — a stick
  24. bark — of a tree

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