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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: charge · press · nail · season · chest · bark · current · cap

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. charge — a price
  3. current — happening now
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cap — a lid
  6. chest — of your body
  7. current — of water
  8. season — of the year
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bark — to shout
  12. cap — of ice
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. chest — a box
  16. current — electric
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. press — to push
  19. season — in sport
  20. charge — in control
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cap — a hat
  24. charge — electricity

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