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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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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 · rock · last · chip · can · field · track · prune

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. field — farmland
  4. chip — for betting
  5. last — to go on
  6. rock — music
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. last — finally
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. prune — to trim
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. can — to be able to
  17. track — a path
  18. track — to keep track
  19. can — a tin
  20. last — final
  21. can — a tin
  22. track — a song
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rock — a stone

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