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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: sharp · patient · clip · mate · lash · charge

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. charge — a price
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mate — to breed
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. mate — a partner
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. clip — a video
  12. charge — in control
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. clip — to cut
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. charge — electricity
  18. clip — for paper

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