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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: patient · lean · chair · race · chip · field

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. field — farmland
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chip — to eat
  7. field — a subject
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. race — the arms race
  10. field — for sport
  11. chip — for betting
  12. race — humankind
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to bend
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. race — a contest

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