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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
468
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: present · plane · kid · field · roll · foot · ground · charge

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. charge — a price
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. field — a subject
  7. ground — a position
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. roll — a list
  10. present — a gift
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. foot — a measure
  13. kid — to tease
  14. present — there
  15. ground — crushed
  16. roll — a cake
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. field — for sport
  19. kid — child
  20. ground — the earth
  21. charge — in control
  22. plane — a tool
  23. charge — electricity
  24. present — the time now

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