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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 · mouse · spring · stand · hide · jam · field · trunk

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. 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. hide — to keep secret
  2. field — for sport
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. stand — to bear
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. spring — a coil
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. spring — of water
  13. charge — a price
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. charge — electricity
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. spring — the season
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. 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