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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: arm · charge · press · kid · stem · mine · cap · field

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. cap — a lid
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. charge — a price
  6. field — a subject
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. press — to push
  10. press — a publisher
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mine — for digging
  14. kid — child
  15. cap — a hat
  16. stem — to come from
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cap — of ice
  19. field — farmland
  20. press — newspapers
  21. charge — electricity
  22. kid — to tease
  23. field — for sport
  24. stem — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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