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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: clip · pass · nail · field · board · charge · net · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. clip — a video
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. field — farmland
  5. spring — the season
  6. pass — a permit
  7. field — for sport
  8. board — a committee
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. clip — to cut
  11. board — to get on
  12. clip — for paper
  13. charge — a price
  14. charge — in control
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. net — for catching
  20. charge — electricity
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. field — a subject
  23. spring — a coil
  24. board — a flat piece

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