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

Word bank: present · mark · craft · cold · patient · charge · sharp · spell

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. craft — a skill
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. mark — a trace
  6. sharp — clever
  7. spell — magic
  8. craft — boats
  9. cold — not warm
  10. charge — electricity
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — a price
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. present — there
  18. cold — an illness
  19. mark — a grade
  20. present — the time now
  21. spell — a short time
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. spell — letters
  24. present — a gift

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