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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: ball · stand · press · charge · bark · wound · kid · file

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. ball — a dance
  3. press — newspapers
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a line of people
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. ball — a great time
  9. press — to push
  10. file — a tool
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. charge — electricity
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. charge — in control
  20. kid — to tease
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. wound — an injury
  23. charge — a price
  24. kid — child

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