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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: mine · tear · bank · calf · cap · charge · game · field

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. charge — electricity
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bank — for money
  6. cap — a hat
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bank — for money
  9. field — for sport
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. game — wild animals
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — a price
  14. cap — of ice
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. cap — a lid
  19. tear — from crying
  20. field — farmland
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. field — a subject
  24. tear — to rip

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