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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: ground · cue · field · pit · chair · charge · shower · stem

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. stem — to come from
  3. shower — rain
  4. pit — a hole
  5. field — for sport
  6. cue — a hint
  7. ground — a position
  8. chair — a leader
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — farmland
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — in control
  14. shower — to wash
  15. cue — a signal
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. cue — for pool
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. charge — a price
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. ground — the earth
  22. pit — in a race
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. chair — a professorship

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