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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: game · field · mouse · present · patient · stock · press · current

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. present — there
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. field — for sport
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. current — happening now
  7. press — to push
  8. current — of water
  9. press — a publisher
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. present — the time now
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. field — a subject
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. field — farmland
  18. game — wild animals
  19. stock — shares
  20. game — a match
  21. present — a gift
  22. stock — goods
  23. current — electric
  24. press — newspapers

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