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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: wax · charge · lie · bark · drill · jam · branch · press

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. branch — a division
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. charge — a price
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. lie — to recline
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. charge — electricity
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. drill — army training
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. charge — in control
  20. bark — to shout
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. press — a publisher
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. press — newspapers

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