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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: charge · bore · lean · ball · bank · fan · wound · field

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. charge — in control
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wound — an injury
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bore — to drill
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. charge — a price
  12. bank — for money
  13. charge — electricity
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bore — to tire
  17. field — farmland
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bank — for money
  21. field — a subject
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. field — for sport

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