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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 116 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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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: chip · straw · bear · pass · kid · field · tube · patient

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. tube — the underground
  3. field — a subject
  4. bear — the animal
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. chip — for betting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pass — a permit
  11. chip — to eat
  12. kid — to tease
  13. field — farmland
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. kid — child
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. tube — a container
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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