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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: charge · chest · field · spell · coach · band · firm · bay

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. firm — a company
  3. spell — letters
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. band — a ring
  6. charge — a price
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. field — for sport
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. chest — a box
  12. spell — magic
  13. band — a music group
  14. chest — of your body
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — in control
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. chest — of your body
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. firm — decided
  22. field — farmland
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. firm — steady

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