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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 120 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: march · press · patient · racket · row · hand · field · scale

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. field — for sport
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. press — to push
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. field — a subject
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. press — a publisher
  12. field — farmland
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. scale — in music
  15. row — to paddle
  16. scale — size or range
  17. row — a line
  18. hand — help
  19. march — music
  20. hand — in cards
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. march — the month
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. march — the month

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