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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: bank · pop · mine · plane · chip · field · charge · date

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. bank — for money
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bank — of a river
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bank — for money
  11. pop — soda
  12. charge — in control
  13. field — for sport
  14. chip — to eat
  15. field — farmland
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. field — a subject
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — the fruit
  21. chip — for betting
  22. charge — electricity
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. date — on the calendar

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