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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: charge · bowl · squash · wound · ball · field · craft · fall

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. wound — an injury
  4. squash — the sport
  5. ball — a great time
  6. fall — to drop
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. squash — to crush
  9. field — farmland
  10. fall — to drop
  11. craft — a skill
  12. charge — electricity
  13. ball — a dance
  14. field — a subject
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. fall — the season
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. charge — a price
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. craft — boats
  24. charge — in control

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