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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.

Make a worksheet

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: fork · face · present · bass · lean · mine · charge · patient

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. mine — for digging
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. charge — a price
  6. bass — the fish
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. present — a gift
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. fork — in a road
  11. lean — to bend
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. face — part of the head
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bass — low music
  16. present — the time now
  17. charge — in control
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. face — to point toward
  21. present — there
  22. face — to confront
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. lean — thin

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