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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: board · field · tube · chip · press · patient · clip · ground

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. field — for sport
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. board — a committee
  6. ground — a position
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. ground — crushed
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. field — farmland
  11. clip — a video
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. ground — the earth
  15. chip — to eat
  16. press — newspapers
  17. board — to get on
  18. press — to push
  19. chip — for betting
  20. clip — for paper
  21. tube — the underground
  22. press — a publisher
  23. field — a subject
  24. clip — to cut

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