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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bass — low music
  4. field — a subject
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bass — the fish
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. field — for sport
  14. snap — to click
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — a division
  19. press — to push
  20. press — newspapers
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. press — a publisher
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. patient — a sick person

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