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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: field · cap · mark · can · file · charge · spell · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. charge — electricity
  3. cap — a lid
  4. file — a tool
  5. charge — in control
  6. file — a document
  7. spell — a short time
  8. cap — of ice
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. field — farmland
  14. can — a tin
  15. field — for sport
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a grade
  18. field — a subject
  19. charge — a price
  20. spell — magic
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cap — a hat
  23. mark — a trace
  24. spell — letters

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