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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 · date · foot · shower · field · bear · mouse

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. field — for sport
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. press — newspapers
  6. charge — electricity
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. foot — a measure
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. field — a subject
  12. charge — in control
  13. bear — the animal
  14. shower — rain
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. press — a publisher
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. press — to push
  20. shower — to wash
  21. date — the fruit
  22. charge — a price
  23. field — farmland
  24. date — on the calendar

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