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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: trunk · chip · field · patient · press · bass · track · can

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. field — farmland
  3. press — newspapers
  4. can — a tin
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. can — to be able to
  7. chip — to eat
  8. track — a path
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bass — the fish
  11. press — to push
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. press — a publisher
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — for sport
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. can — a tin
  19. track — a song
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. track — to keep track

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