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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 120 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: leaves · chip · rest · field · spring · bound · lie · patient

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rest — what's left
  4. chip — to eat
  5. field — a subject
  6. chip — for betting
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. rest — what's left
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. spring — a coil
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. spring — of water
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — obliged
  18. rest — a break
  19. bound — tied together
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. field — for sport
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. spring — the season

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