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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chair · charge · bear · press · arm · staff · wave · mine

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. staff — a stick
  4. charge — a price
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. staff — employees
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. charge — in control
  9. press — to push
  10. chair — a leader
  11. staff — employees
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. press — a publisher
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. mine — for digging

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