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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fan · pound · vault · staff · cold · can · press · charge

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — not warm
  4. staff — a stick
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. charge — electricity
  7. press — newspapers
  8. charge — in control
  9. can — a tin
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. press — to push
  12. vault — a safe
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. can — a tin
  15. pound — a weight
  16. press — a publisher
  17. charge — a price
  18. can — to be able to
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. fan — a supporter

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