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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · field · bound · wound · chip · court · press · vault

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. press — newspapers
  3. vault — a safe
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bound — obliged
  8. court — of a king
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bound — certain
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. press — to push
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — for betting
  16. court — of law
  17. bound — tied together
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. press — a publisher
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. court — for sport

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