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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 120 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: spring · press · cold · mate · temple · charge · cap · wax

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. mate — a friend
  4. press — newspapers
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. spring — the season
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cap — a lid
  10. spring — of water
  11. press — to push
  12. charge — a price
  13. cap — of ice
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. press — a publisher
  17. spring — a coil
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. charge — in control
  20. cold — an illness
  21. charge — electricity
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. cold — the Cold War

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