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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 116 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: spring · wake · track · dip · patient · face · charge · wave

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. charge — a price
  3. track — to keep track
  4. dip — to sink
  5. face — to confront
  6. charge — electricity
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. face — to point toward
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. track — a path
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. charge — in control
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. face — part of the head
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. track — a song

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