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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bound — tied together
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. charge — a price
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — to get on
  8. rock — music
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bound — obliged
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. field — for sport
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bound — certain
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. field — a subject
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. charge — in control
  23. charge — electricity
  24. rock — to move gently

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