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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: stick · press · board · charge · rule · pop · ground · spring

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. press — newspapers
  3. press — a publisher
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. charge — in control
  6. ground — the earth
  7. rule — government
  8. press — to push
  9. pop — soda
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. spring — the season
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. spring — of water
  14. charge — a price
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. ground — crushed
  17. board — a committee
  18. spring — a coil
  19. charge — electricity
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. ground — a position
  24. rule — a law

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