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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 116 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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. field — a subject
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. field — for sport
  7. club — a group
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. field — farmland
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. race — the arms race
  15. chip — for betting
  16. race — humankind
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. club — for dancing
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. race — a contest
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. club — for golf
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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