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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cold · charge · drill · leaves · rock · plane · mate · patient

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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. cold — not warm
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. charge — in control
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. drill — a practice
  8. mate — a partner
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. charge — electricity
  11. drill — army training
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. rock — a stone
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. mate — to breed
  19. rock — music
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. drill — the tool
  22. plane — a tool
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. patient — a sick person

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