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

Word bank: charge · field · capital · tube · toast · row · saw · mark

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. mark — a trace
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. field — a subject
  5. tube — the underground
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. capital — a city
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. field — farmland
  11. mark — a grade
  12. field — for sport
  13. row — a line
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. tube — a container
  16. charge — electricity
  17. charge — in control
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. row — to paddle
  23. charge — a price
  24. capital — money

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