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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: mine · row · pound · shower · press · charge · branch · date

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. pound — a weight
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. row — a line
  7. press — to push
  8. mine — for digging
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. press — a publisher
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. press — newspapers
  13. row — to paddle
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. date — the fruit
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. shower — to wash
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. branch — a division
  20. charge — electricity
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. shower — rain
  23. charge — a price
  24. charge — in control

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