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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: club · saw · charge · drill · bulb · field · march · cabinet

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. march — the month
  4. charge — in control
  5. club — for dancing
  6. drill — a practice
  7. field — farmland
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. field — a subject
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — a price
  12. march — the month
  13. bulb — for light
  14. drill — the tool
  15. march — music
  16. club — for golf
  17. drill — army training
  18. bulb — for light
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. field — for sport
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bulb — of a plant

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