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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 · spell · land · field · object · mine · tear · ball

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mine — for digging
  4. object — to protest
  5. tear — to rip
  6. charge — a price
  7. object — an aim
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. field — for sport
  10. object — a thing
  11. tear — from crying
  12. land — ground
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. charge — electricity
  15. spell — magic
  16. field — a subject
  17. spell — a short time
  18. ball — a dance
  19. land — to come down
  20. charge — in control
  21. land — a country
  22. spell — letters
  23. field — farmland
  24. ball — a great time

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