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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.

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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: field · can · press · charge · pass · bore · bulb · hand

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. field — for sport
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — newspapers
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. can — to be able to
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. field — a subject
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bulb — for light
  13. can — a tin
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — to tire
  16. charge — a price
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. can — a tin
  19. charge — in control
  20. hand — help
  21. charge — electricity
  22. bulb — for light
  23. field — farmland
  24. press — to push

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