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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 120 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: lean · key · stand · current · chair · field · rock · bulb

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. field — farmland
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bulb — for light
  5. current — of water
  6. current — electric
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. lean — thin
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. key — for a lock
  14. lean — to bend
  15. rock — music
  16. stand — to bear
  17. field — a subject
  18. key — the most important part
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. field — for sport
  23. key — in music
  24. bulb — for light

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