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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: press · season · cell · charge · pound · field

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. 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. cell — a phone
  2. season — of the year
  3. press — newspapers
  4. field — for sport
  5. charge — a price
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. field — a subject
  8. press — a publisher
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. field — farmland
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. charge — electricity
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pound — a weight
  16. press — to push
  17. season — in sport
  18. 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