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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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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 · bark · field · chip · mate · spring · key · season

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — for betting
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. field — farmland
  6. mate — a partner
  7. season — of the year
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. chip — to eat
  10. mate — to breed
  11. spring — of water
  12. mate — a friend
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — the most important part
  15. spring — a coil
  16. key — in music
  17. bark — to shout
  18. season — in sport
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. spring — the season
  21. field — a subject
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. field — for sport
  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