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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: court · season · spring · charge · plane · fall · fan · patient

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. court — for sport
  3. fall — the season
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fall — to drop
  6. charge — in control
  7. spring — a coil
  8. season — of the year
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. court — of law
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. season — in sport
  14. charge — a price
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. plane — a tool
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fall — to drop
  23. court — of a king
  24. charge — electricity

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