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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wound — an injury
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. charge — in control
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. charge — a price
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. spring — of water
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. chair — a leader
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spring — the season
  22. lean — thin
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. lean — to bend

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