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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: field · band · degree · spell · charge · cabinet · chip · coach

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. charge — electricity
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — a short time
  6. chip — to eat
  7. field — farmland
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. charge — a price
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. degree — temperature
  12. field — for sport
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. degree — from a university
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. spell — letters
  20. field — a subject
  21. chip — for betting
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. charge — in control
  24. degree — an amount

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