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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: deal · charge · spring · patient · cell · foot · bass · fork

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — low music
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. deal — to handle
  6. cell — in biology
  7. charge — in control
  8. spring — a coil
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. fork — in a road
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. charge — electricity
  13. spring — the season
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. charge — a price
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bass — the fish
  19. spring — of water
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. fork — a garden tool

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