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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: stick · charge · trunk · scale · kid · wake · saw · press

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. charge — in control
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — to push
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. charge — a price
  11. scale — size or range
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. kid — to tease
  17. press — newspapers
  18. wake — a trail
  19. charge — electricity
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. scale — in music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. saw — the tool

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