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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: fan · date · stand · trunk · fall · charge · field · pitch

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. charge — electricity
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. date — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. fall — to drop
  12. charge — in control
  13. field — for sport
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. pitch — completely
  20. charge — a price
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. stand — to bear

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