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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 120 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 · shower · fine · ground · present · charge · press · bat

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. ground — the earth
  4. charge — electricity
  5. press — to push
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. present — there
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. present — a gift
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — all right
  13. press — newspapers
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. present — the time now
  16. shower — to wash
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bat — the animal
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — a position
  21. wax — to grow
  22. shower — rain
  23. charge — a price
  24. charge — in control

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