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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 120 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: pound · shower · spring · track · patient · chip · charge · object

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. charge — electricity
  3. track — a song
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. track — to keep track
  6. chip — to eat
  7. charge — a price
  8. shower — rain
  9. object — to protest
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. object — a thing
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. object — an aim
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. charge — in control
  18. spring — the season
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. chip — for betting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. track — a path
  24. shower — to wash

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