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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 · charge · field · sharp · drill · bank · mouse · season

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. season — of the year
  3. charge — in control
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. drill — army training
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. drill — the tool
  9. field — a subject
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bank — for money
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. field — farmland
  19. charge — a price
  20. season — in sport
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. drill — a practice
  23. field — for sport
  24. nail — for a hammer

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