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

Word bank: club · trunk · vault · chip · field · pound · patient · game

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. chip — for betting
  3. field — for sport
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. chip — to eat
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. field — farmland
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pound — a weight
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. club — for dancing
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. club — a group
  22. vault — a safe
  23. club — for golf
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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