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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: wind · bay · bowl · straw · patient · chest · charge · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. charge — electricity
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. charge — a price
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. chest — of your body
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. chest — a box
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chest — of your body
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. rash — a series
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. charge — in control
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. wind — moving air

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