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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: safe · chair · field · wind · prune · firm · stand · spell

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. chair — a leader
  7. firm — a company
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wind — moving air
  10. field — a subject
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. spell — a short time
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stand — to bear
  15. spell — magic
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — for sport
  18. firm — decided
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. prune — to trim
  22. firm — steady
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. spell — letters

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