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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: mine · craft · foot · season · cap · fine · charge · wound

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. charge — a price
  3. fine — high quality
  4. charge — electricity
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. craft — boats
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cap — a lid
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — for digging
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. season — in sport
  20. charge — in control
  21. cap — a hat
  22. craft — a skill
  23. season — of the year
  24. foot — the bottom

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