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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: spring · mate · patient · object · fork · drill · charge · court

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. drill — the tool
  3. mate — a friend
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. spring — the season
  9. court — for sport
  10. object — to protest
  11. drill — a practice
  12. charge — a price
  13. drill — army training
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — of water
  17. mate — to breed
  18. court — of a king
  19. mate — a partner
  20. fork — in a road
  21. court — of law
  22. charge — in control
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — an aim

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