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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 120 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: nail · leaves · saw · mine · field · charge · deal · last

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. charge — a price
  4. last — finally
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. charge — in control
  7. last — to go on
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. mine — for digging
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. saw — the tool
  14. last — final
  15. field — for sport
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. saw — the tool
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. charge — electricity
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. deal — to handle
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. field — farmland

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