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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 116 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: field · chair · bore · charge · nail · saw

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. charge — in control
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. field — for sport
  7. charge — a price
  8. bore — to tire
  9. field — farmland
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bore — to drill
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. charge — electricity
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. chair — a leader

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