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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: press · field · patient · pop · mark · bound · fall · chip

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bound — obliged
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. mark — a grade
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chip — to eat
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. mark — a trace
  11. pop — to visit
  12. chip — for betting
  13. field — farmland
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pop — soda
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. fall — the season
  18. bound — tied together
  19. field — a subject
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. fall — to drop
  22. field — for sport
  23. bound — certain
  24. patient — a sick person

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