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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rash · chest · wave · pop · rest · charge · patient · mine

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. charge — a price
  3. pop — to visit
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. charge — electricity
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rash — a series
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pop — music
  12. charge — in control
  13. rest — a break
  14. chest — a box
  15. pop — soda
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rash — on the skin

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