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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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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: roll · staff · cold · mate · charge · fall · mouse · patient

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. charge — in control
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. charge — electricity
  6. cold — not warm
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. staff — employees
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. staff — employees
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cold — an illness
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. fall — to drop
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — a list
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. charge — a price
  22. staff — a stick
  23. cold — the Cold War
  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