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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: key · press · row · mate · patient · march · bound · charge

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. press — newspapers
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. march — the month
  5. key — in music
  6. bound — obliged
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. charge — a price
  9. row — a line
  10. charge — in control
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. press — to push
  14. press — a publisher
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — a friend
  17. key — the most important part
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — tied together
  21. march — the month
  22. key — for a lock
  23. march — music
  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