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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
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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: present · foot · tear · straw · field · leaves · pop · charge

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. tear — from crying
  3. field — for sport
  4. present — there
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — to visit
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. charge — a price
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pop — music
  13. tear — to rip
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. present — a gift
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. foot — a measure
  19. charge — electricity
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. field — farmland
  22. present — the time now
  23. charge — in control
  24. straw — a straw man

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