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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
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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 · spring · content · fan · field · hide · can · game

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. spring — the season
  3. content — the amount
  4. field — for sport
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. game — wild animals
  8. content — happy
  9. can — to be able to
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. charge — a price
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. can — a tin
  15. charge — in control
  16. spring — of water
  17. field — a subject
  18. can — a tin
  19. charge — electricity
  20. game — a match
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. spring — a coil
  24. field — farmland

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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