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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.

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: capital · sharp · fork · prune · field · charge · chest · wound

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. prune — to trim
  3. field — farmland
  4. sharp — clever
  5. prune — to trim
  6. charge — a price
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. wound — an injury
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. capital — money
  14. charge — in control
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. chest — of your body
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. capital — a city
  21. wound — an injury
  22. charge — electricity
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. field — for 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