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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 120 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: mine · nail · season · degree · wound · march · press · charge

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. charge — a price
  3. degree — an amount
  4. march — the month
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — to push
  9. march — the month
  10. press — a publisher
  11. march — music
  12. mine — for digging
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. charge — electricity
  17. wound — an injury
  18. degree — temperature
  19. season — of the year
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. charge — in control
  22. degree — from a university
  23. wound — an injury
  24. nail — for a hammer

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