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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wave · field · band · game · bowl · charge · drill · bay

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. field — for sport
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. band — a music group
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. charge — electricity
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. field — a subject
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. charge — in control
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a ring
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. field — farmland
  22. game — a match
  23. charge — a price
  24. drill — army training

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