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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: pound · sharp · stem · chair · wound · field · fan · deal

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. deal — to handle
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pound — a weight
  8. stem — to come from
  9. wound — an injury
  10. chair — a leader
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. field — a subject

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