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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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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: vault · jam · press · straw · charge · wave · row · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. charge — in control
  3. press — to push
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. press — a publisher
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. charge — electricity
  10. row — a line
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. vault — a safe
  15. charge — a price
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wind — moving air
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. press — newspapers
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. wind — to turn a key

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