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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 · lie · row · mine · roll · field · present · scale

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. present — a gift
  4. field — a subject
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. field — for sport
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. mine — for digging
  11. scale — in music
  12. row — a line
  13. charge — a price
  14. roll — a cake
  15. field — farmland
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. roll — a list
  18. charge — electricity
  19. scale — size or range
  20. lie — to recline
  21. present — the time now
  22. charge — in control
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. present — there

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