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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: field · mark · patient · calf · bulb · tube · press · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. field — a subject
  5. press — newspapers
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. press — to push
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. field — for sport
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. press — a publisher
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mark — a grade
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bulb — for light
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bulb — for light
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. field — farmland
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. patient — a sick person

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