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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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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: bay · last · fall · rule · march · patient · wound · charge

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rule — a law
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. last — final
  7. wound — an injury
  8. last — finally
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. last — to go on
  13. rule — government
  14. fall — the season
  15. charge — a price
  16. march — the month
  17. fall — to drop
  18. march — the month
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. march — music
  22. charge — in control
  23. charge — electricity
  24. fall — to drop

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