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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: ground · wake · present · press · current · charge · stick · pitcher

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. current — electric
  3. wake — a trail
  4. charge — a price
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. current — of water
  7. charge — in control
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. ground — crushed
  10. present — there
  11. current — happening now
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. ground — a position
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. press — to push
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — newspapers
  21. present — the time now
  22. charge — electricity
  23. present — a gift
  24. ground — the earth

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