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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  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. press — to push
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. field — for sport
  4. branch — a division
  5. chip — to eat
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. field — farmland
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. press — a publisher
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. chip — for betting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. snap — to click
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. press — newspapers
  21. field — a subject
  22. pit — a hole
  23. racket — for tennis
  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