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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chest · mine · bound · field · mug · hide · charge · lean

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. charge — in control
  3. bound — certain
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. chest — a box
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mug — a cup
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. bound — obliged
  11. mug — to rob
  12. lean — to bend
  13. mug — a face
  14. chest — of your body
  15. field — a subject
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. charge — electricity
  19. chest — of your body
  20. charge — a price
  21. lean — thin
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bound — tied together
  24. lean — to rest against

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