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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: field · capital · tear · calf · chest · bowl · spell · charge

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. charge — a price
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. charge — electricity
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. chest — a box
  7. spell — a short time
  8. chest — of your body
  9. capital — a city
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. charge — in control
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. capital — money
  14. spell — magic
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. spell — letters
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. field — a subject

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