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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: ground · dip · stem · charge · field · mine · club · fall

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. club — for dancing
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. fall — to drop
  8. charge — a price
  9. fall — the season
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. dip — to sink
  13. charge — in control
  14. field — farmland
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. fall — to drop
  18. club — a group
  19. club — for golf
  20. ground — a position
  21. field — for sport
  22. ground — crushed
  23. field — a subject
  24. charge — electricity

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