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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 116 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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. snap — to click
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — a price
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. charge — in control
  16. band — a ring
  17. cell — in biology
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. cell — a phone
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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