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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: patient · stick · charge · sharp · mug · face · bark · shower

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — electricity
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. face — to point toward
  7. shower — rain
  8. mug — to rob
  9. face — to confront
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mug — a cup
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. face — part of the head
  20. charge — in control
  21. bark — to shout
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mug — a face
  24. sharp — exactly

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