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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: ground · mug · field · board · snap · degree · tear · charge

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. mug — a cup
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. ground — crushed
  6. charge — a price
  7. mug — to rob
  8. charge — electricity
  9. board — a committee
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. board — to get on
  12. mug — a face
  13. charge — in control
  14. field — farmland
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to click
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — temperature
  21. ground — the earth
  22. degree — an amount
  23. ground — a position
  24. board — a flat piece

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