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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: safe · mine · saw · march · content · field · charge · bore

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. field — a subject
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. content — happy
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. charge — in control
  11. saw — the tool
  12. field — farmland
  13. charge — electricity
  14. content — the amount
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bore — to drill
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. charge — a price
  23. field — for sport
  24. bore — to tire

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