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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 116 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 · kick · prune · field · cap · land · bowl · rush

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. cap — a hat
  4. land — to come down
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. charge — in control
  8. land — a country
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cap — a lid
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. kick — in football
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — a subject
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. land — ground
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. cap — of ice

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