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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 · fine · field · net · cap · bulb · rash · saw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. charge — in control
  3. fine — high quality
  4. net — in sport
  5. cap — of ice
  6. saw — the tool
  7. charge — a price
  8. bulb — for light
  9. net — for catching
  10. cap — a lid
  11. field — farmland
  12. rash — a series
  13. charge — electricity
  14. cap — a hat
  15. rash — hasty
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — for sport
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. net — after costs
  23. fine — all right
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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