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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: cap · charge · bulb · press · game · nail · last · root

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — final
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. root — the cause
  6. bulb — for light
  7. press — to push
  8. game — a match
  9. root — of a plant
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — of ice
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. charge — electricity
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. last — finally
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. press — a publisher
  19. charge — a price
  20. root — of a word
  21. game — wild animals
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. charge — in control
  24. press — newspapers

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