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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.

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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: stand · bat · charge · spring · present · field · racket · wax

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. charge — in control
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — to grow
  7. charge — a price
  8. stand — to bear
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. present — there
  11. bat — the animal
  12. present — a gift
  13. field — for sport
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. charge — electricity
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — a subject
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. spring — of water
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. bat — in an idiom

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