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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.

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: can · charge · shower · drill · field · bank · squash · ground

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bank — for money
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. bank — for money
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bank — of a river
  8. shower — rain
  9. field — farmland
  10. can — to be able to
  11. shower — to wash
  12. ground — the earth
  13. can — a tin
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. charge — a price
  16. charge — in control
  17. ground — a position
  18. drill — the tool
  19. squash — to crush
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — army training
  22. can — a tin
  23. charge — electricity
  24. ground — crushed

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