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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: clip · wind · fan · ground · snap · field · bay · charge

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. clip — a video
  3. field — for sport
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. charge — a price
  8. wind — moving air
  9. field — a subject
  10. ground — crushed
  11. field — farmland
  12. ground — a position
  13. charge — in control
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. wind — moving air
  16. ground — the earth
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. snap — to click
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. clip — for paper
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. clip — to cut
  24. fan — a supporter

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