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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.

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: key · rule · field · toast · spring · charge · wound · saw

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. saw — the tool
  3. spring — a coil
  4. saw — the tool
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. field — a subject
  8. charge — in control
  9. rule — a law
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — the most important part
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. charge — a price
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. charge — electricity
  21. key — in music
  22. rule — government
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — of water

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