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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: charge · calf · ground · straw · season · field · last · plane

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. season — of the year
  3. ground — the earth
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. ground — a position
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. plane — a tool
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. field — for sport
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — electricity
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. field — farmland
  16. last — to go on
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. charge — in control
  20. field — a subject
  21. ground — crushed
  22. last — final
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. season — in sport

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