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

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. drill — army training
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. march — music
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. march — the month
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. drill — the tool
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. root — of a word
  16. charge — in control
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. march — the month
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. root — the cause
  23. charge — a price
  24. root — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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