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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: wave · stem · ground · bulb · press · charge · mine · hand

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. charge — electricity
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. press — newspapers
  9. charge — a price
  10. mine — for digging
  11. charge — in control
  12. press — a publisher
  13. stem — to come from
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bulb — for light
  18. ground — the earth
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. hand — help
  21. ground — a position
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — part of the body

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