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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. charge — in control
  3. cold — an illness
  4. ground — a position
  5. cold — not warm
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. charge — electricity
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. snap — to click
  14. charge — a price
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. ground — the earth
  17. plane — a tool
  18. tube — the underground
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. tube — a container
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. ground — crushed
  24. mine — an explosive

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