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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: wind · tube · content · charge · field · cue · chair · bark

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. content — happy
  5. cue — for pool
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. cue — a hint
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. tube — the underground
  10. field — for sport
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. field — farmland
  13. charge — a price
  14. content — the amount
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — in control
  17. bark — to shout
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. field — a subject
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. cue — a signal
  24. wind — moving air

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