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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 · foot · clip · land · shower · can · fall · charge

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. press — newspapers
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. can — a tin
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. fall — to drop
  7. clip — for paper
  8. can — a tin
  9. press — to push
  10. can — to be able to
  11. fall — the season
  12. charge — a price
  13. shower — to wash
  14. clip — a video
  15. land — to come down
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. foot — a measure
  19. press — a publisher
  20. charge — in control
  21. land — a country
  22. clip — to cut
  23. charge — electricity
  24. fall — to drop

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