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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: charge · tube · lean · press · drill · march · mark · file

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. file — a document
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. drill — the tool
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. march — the month
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. charge — in control
  12. file — a line of people
  13. press — to push
  14. file — a tool
  15. lean — to bend
  16. mark — a grade
  17. drill — army training
  18. press — newspapers
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — the underground
  21. lean — thin
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a trace
  24. drill — a practice

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