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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: wound · patient · kick · rash · charge · prune · bore · ball

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bore — to drill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. charge — a price
  7. rash — hasty
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. prune — to trim
  10. charge — electricity
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wound — an injury
  13. kick — in football
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. rash — a series
  17. charge — in control
  18. prune — to trim
  19. ball — a dance
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. ball — a great time
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. kick — a thrill

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