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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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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. charge — in control
  5. club — for dancing
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. land — a country
  8. cold — an illness
  9. club — for golf
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. land — to come down
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bank — for money
  14. club — a group
  15. charge — a price
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bank — of a river
  20. charge — electricity
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bank — for money
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — to move gently

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