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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: band · charge · field · lie · wave · bulb · fine · drill

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. lie — to recline
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — high quality
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. charge — electricity
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. drill — a practice
  11. band — a ring
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fine — all right
  14. bulb — for light
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — army training
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. field — for sport
  19. charge — in control
  20. charge — a price
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. field — a subject
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. band — a music group

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