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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: stem · court · object · firm · season · bound · field · wind

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. court — of law
  3. object — to protest
  4. firm — decided
  5. object — a thing
  6. firm — steady
  7. bound — obliged
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. wind — moving air
  13. field — a subject
  14. firm — a company
  15. bound — tied together
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. season — of the year
  18. court — of a king
  19. bound — certain
  20. object — an aim
  21. court — for sport
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — a stem cell

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