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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: field · patient · chip · band · branch · charge · prune · mine

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — in control
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. prune — to trim
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. charge — a price
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. field — farmland
  17. chip — to eat
  18. field — a subject
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. field — for sport
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. prune — to trim
  24. chip — for betting

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