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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: swing · bound · field · arm · fan · patient · press · leaves

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. field — for sport
  5. bound — obliged
  6. swing — music
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. press — newspapers
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bound — certain
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. press — a publisher
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. swing — in golf
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bound — tied together
  23. press — to push
  24. field — a subject

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