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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: firm · wind · field · chair · content · bass · current · stem

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. current — happening now
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. firm — steady
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. stem — to come from
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bass — the fish
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. content — happy
  13. wind — moving air
  14. content — the amount
  15. current — of water
  16. wind — moving air
  17. field — for sport
  18. bass — low music
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. firm — decided
  21. current — electric
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. field — farmland
  24. firm — a company

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