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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.

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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 · nail · cell · mark · row · mouse · current · field

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. mark — a grade
  3. field — farmland
  4. cell — a phone
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. charge — in control
  7. field — for sport
  8. charge — electricity
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mark — a trace
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. cell — in biology
  14. current — happening now
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. current — of water
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. field — a subject
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. charge — a price
  23. row — to paddle
  24. current — electric

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