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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 116 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
468
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: saw · cabinet · root · present · charge · field · cold · squash

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. field — farmland
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. saw — the tool
  6. charge — electricity
  7. field — a subject
  8. present — there
  9. present — the time now
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. squash — the sport
  13. field — for sport
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a plant
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — in control
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. root — of a word
  21. squash — to crush
  22. saw — the tool
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. present — a gift

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