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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 · band · pound · chair · ground · field · lean · stick

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. ground — a position
  6. charge — electricity
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. pound — a weight
  11. field — a subject
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a ring
  14. charge — in control
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. charge — a price
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. field — for sport
  19. chair — a leader
  20. field — farmland
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. lean — to bend
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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