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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. march — music
  4. chip — for betting
  5. field — a subject
  6. row — to paddle
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. firm — steady
  9. field — for sport
  10. chip — to eat
  11. march — the month
  12. branch — a division
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. firm — decided
  18. march — the month
  19. firm — a company
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — a line
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. field — farmland
  24. season — in sport

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