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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
468
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: club · bank · charge · wax · spring · cell · land · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bank — of a river
  3. club — a group
  4. bank — for money
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. spring — the season
  7. club — for golf
  8. wax — to grow
  9. charge — a price
  10. land — a country
  11. club — for dancing
  12. field — for sport
  13. cell — in biology
  14. spring — of water
  15. charge — electricity
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bank — for money
  19. land — to come down
  20. spring — a coil
  21. charge — in control
  22. cell — a phone
  23. land — ground
  24. field — a subject

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