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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: fan · wake · spell · field · hide · charge · press · patient

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. wake — a trail
  3. charge — in control
  4. press — a publisher
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. charge — a price
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — farmland
  10. spell — a short time
  11. press — newspapers
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. spell — magic
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. press — to push
  18. spell — letters
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. charge — electricity
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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