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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
468
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: content · stick · file · press · ground · patient · scale · charge

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. ground — the earth
  3. press — a publisher
  4. charge — a price
  5. content — happy
  6. press — newspapers
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — a position
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. scale — size or range
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. press — to push
  15. file — a line of people
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. content — the amount
  18. charge — in control
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. scale — in music

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