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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: mug · deal · chest · staff · patient · charge · bark · kid

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bark — to shout
  4. kid — to tease
  5. charge — electricity
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mug — a cup
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. deal — to handle
  11. mug — a face
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. kid — child
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. mug — to rob
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — a price

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