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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 · face · stick · spring · cap · drill · press · calf

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. charge — in control
  3. face — part of the head
  4. charge — electricity
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cap — a lid
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cap — of ice
  10. drill — a practice
  11. charge — a price
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. spring — of water
  16. press — newspapers
  17. spring — a coil
  18. press — a publisher
  19. face — to point toward
  20. cap — a hat
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — army training
  23. spring — the season
  24. press — to push

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