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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: coach · charge · wound · ground · fall · row · bat · press

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. press — to push
  3. charge — electricity
  4. fall — to drop
  5. charge — a price
  6. wound — an injury
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. charge — in control
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. wound — an injury
  11. ground — a position
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. press — a publisher
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. ground — the earth
  19. row — a line
  20. row — to paddle
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. ground — crushed
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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