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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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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: object · prune · mouse · charge · face · ground · field · cap

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. prune — to trim
  3. object — to protest
  4. ground — the earth
  5. face — to confront
  6. charge — in control
  7. object — an aim
  8. ground — a position
  9. cap — a hat
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. prune — to trim
  13. object — a thing
  14. face — part of the head
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cap — a lid
  18. charge — a price
  19. ground — crushed
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. cap — of ice
  22. charge — electricity
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. face — to point toward

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