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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: present · field · object · board · cell · ground · can · spell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. spell — letters
  3. present — the time now
  4. ground — crushed
  5. field — a subject
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. spell — a short time
  9. board — a committee
  10. field — for sport
  11. object — an aim
  12. cell — in biology
  13. present — a gift
  14. board — to get on
  15. can — a tin
  16. present — there
  17. spell — magic
  18. object — to protest
  19. ground — the earth
  20. cell — a phone
  21. field — farmland
  22. ground — a position
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. object — a thing

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