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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: pound · last · lie · toast · rush · field · charge · spring

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. last — to go on
  3. spring — of water
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. spring — a coil
  6. charge — in control
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pound — a weight
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. last — finally
  12. spring — the season
  13. charge — electricity
  14. lie — to recline
  15. field — farmland
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. last — final
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. toast — bread
  24. lie — an untruth

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