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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: saw · press · charge · mine · fall · kid · board · field

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. charge — a price
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. mine — for digging
  6. kid — child
  7. press — to push
  8. fall — to drop
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. field — a subject
  11. fall — the season
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. board — a committee
  15. charge — electricity
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. saw — the tool
  19. kid — to tease
  20. press — a publisher
  21. charge — in control
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. press — newspapers

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