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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: charge · fan · season · wound · rash · press · branch · chair

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. season — in sport
  3. chair — a leader
  4. charge — a price
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rash — hasty
  10. press — newspapers
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. charge — in control
  14. press — to push
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. press — a publisher
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rash — a series
  23. season — of the year
  24. charge — electricity

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