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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: lean · mine · club · press · current · roll · wind · charge

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. charge — in control
  3. club — for golf
  4. wind — moving air
  5. club — for dancing
  6. current — of water
  7. mine — for digging
  8. current — electric
  9. charge — a price
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. press — to push
  12. lean — thin
  13. wind — moving air
  14. club — a group
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. roll — a list
  17. lean — to bend
  18. roll — a cake
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. current — happening now
  21. charge — electricity
  22. press — newspapers
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. press — a publisher

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