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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: face · march · charge · land · field · prune · ball · stem

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. field — farmland
  3. land — a country
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. face — part of the head
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. field — a subject
  8. land — to come down
  9. stem — to come from
  10. charge — electricity
  11. ball — a great time
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. land — ground
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. face — to point toward
  17. ball — a dance
  18. charge — a price
  19. field — for sport
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. march — music
  22. charge — in control
  23. prune — to trim
  24. face — to confront

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