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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 · field · wake · charge · present · tube · pass · bound

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — a trail
  3. press — to push
  4. field — farmland
  5. pass — a permit
  6. field — a subject
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bound — certain
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. charge — electricity
  12. present — there
  13. present — a gift
  14. bound — obliged
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. field — for sport
  17. present — the time now
  18. charge — a price
  19. tube — a container
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. tube — the underground
  23. charge — in control
  24. bound — tied together

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