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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: charge · field · content · straw · wake · bank · firm · pit

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bank — for money
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. charge — a price
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — in a race
  9. wake — a trail
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bank — for money
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. content — happy
  14. firm — a company
  15. firm — decided
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. charge — in control
  20. firm — steady
  21. content — the amount
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bank — of a river
  24. charge — electricity

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