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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: spring · stick · hide · charge · safe · cell · field · foot

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. charge — in control
  3. foot — a measure
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. charge — a price
  6. field — farmland
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cell — in biology
  16. spring — a coil
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. charge — electricity
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. cell — a phone
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. spring — the season

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