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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 · season · date · bark · last · fall · scale

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. fall — to drop
  3. charge — in control
  4. press — to push
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. fall — the season
  9. press — newspapers
  10. charge — a price
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. press — a publisher
  20. season — in sport
  21. charge — electricity
  22. bark — to shout
  23. fall — to drop
  24. last — to go on

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