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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 116 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: chip · fan · field · safe · press · kick · fork · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. field — farmland
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. band — a ring
  8. field — for sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — for betting
  12. press — to push
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fork — in a road
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. press — newspapers
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. field — a subject
  21. kick — in football
  22. press — a publisher
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. fork — to eat with

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