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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 116 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: drill · row · lean · charge · field · press · board · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. charge — electricity
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. band — a ring
  5. field — for sport
  6. drill — a practice
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. board — to get on
  9. press — a publisher
  10. charge — a price
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. lean — thin
  13. board — a committee
  14. row — a line
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. drill — the tool
  17. press — newspapers
  18. row — to paddle
  19. press — to push
  20. drill — army training
  21. charge — in control
  22. lean — to bend
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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