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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 116 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: charge · band · field · face · nail · rush · pitcher · mate

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. field — farmland
  4. rush — hurry
  5. band — a music group
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — to breed
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. field — for sport
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. field — a subject
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. face — part of the head
  17. band — a ring
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — electricity
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. face — to confront
  22. charge — in control
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. face — to point toward

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