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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.

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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 · patient · wind · bark · vault · charge · bowl

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. vault — a safe
  5. charge — electricity
  6. field — a subject
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. wind — moving air
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wind — moving air
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. charge — in control
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. charge — a price
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. chip — to eat
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — 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