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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: wound · rule · chair · firm · field · cabinet · can · stand

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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. can — to be able to
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. firm — a company
  8. can — a tin
  9. field — for sport
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. chair — a leader
  13. field — farmland
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. rule — government
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rule — a law
  20. firm — decided
  21. stand — to bear
  22. can — a tin
  23. field — a subject
  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