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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: tear · scale · fan · press · chip · bark · pitch · charge

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bark — to shout
  5. charge — a price
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. tear — to rip
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. scale — in music
  12. charge — electricity
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. chip — for betting
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. press — a publisher
  18. scale — size or range
  19. chip — to eat
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. press — to push
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. charge — in control

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