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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: field · chip · chair · patient · prune · club · object · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. object — to protest
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. club — a group
  6. field — farmland
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. chip — to eat
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. club — for golf
  13. object — an aim
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. field — for sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. hand — in cards
  19. object — a thing
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. field — a subject
  23. club — for dancing
  24. chair — a leader

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