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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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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bank — for money
  3. charge — a price
  4. field — for sport
  5. bank — of a river
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. band — a ring
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. charge — in control
  11. field — a subject
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. field — farmland
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. prune — to trim
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. bank — for money
  19. band — a music group
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. mark — a trace
  22. prune — to trim
  23. net — after costs
  24. vault — a safe

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