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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: season · mine · vault · charge · root · field · last · cell

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — electricity
  8. root — of a word
  9. root — of a plant
  10. field — a subject
  11. cell — a phone
  12. last — to go on
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. season — of the year
  15. last — final
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. vault — a safe
  18. root — the cause
  19. last — finally
  20. season — in sport
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. mine — for digging
  24. season — to add flavour

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