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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. charge — a price
  3. bank — for money
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. field — for sport
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. field — farmland
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. charge — electricity
  15. field — a subject
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bank — for money
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bank — of a river
  23. charge — in control
  24. mine — for digging

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