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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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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: chair · wound · stand · wind · bank · field · safe · tear

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. tear — from crying
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. tear — to rip
  6. field — farmland
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. field — a subject
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. field — for sport
  11. stand — to bear
  12. chair — a leader
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bank — of a river
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bank — for money
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. wound — an injury
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bank — for money

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