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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: kid · press · lean · swing · field · mine · chip · bound

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. bound — obliged
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. chip — to eat
  6. kid — child
  7. field — farmland
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bound — certain
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. kid — to tease
  12. lean — thin
  13. press — to push
  14. press — newspapers
  15. swing — music
  16. mine — for digging
  17. lean — to bend
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bound — tied together
  22. chip — for betting
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — to play on

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