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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: band · lie · bank · charge · spring · field · shower · ball

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. spring — a coil
  4. lie — to recline
  5. shower — rain
  6. charge — a price
  7. band — a music group
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bank — for money
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bank — for money
  12. band — a ring
  13. field — a subject
  14. ball — a dance
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bank — of a river
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. field — farmland
  20. spring — the season
  21. ball — a great time
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. field — for sport
  24. spring — of water

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