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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: wind · stem · charge · field · net · swing · toast · shower

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stem — to come from
  4. toast — bread
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. swing — to play on
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. charge — a price
  9. net — after costs
  10. charge — in control
  11. field — farmland
  12. shower — to wash
  13. swing — music
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. net — in sport
  16. charge — electricity
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. wind — moving air
  19. field — for sport
  20. shower — rain
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. swing — in golf
  23. field — a subject
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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