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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: shower · fork · bark · patient · charge · temple · saw · chair

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. chair — a leader
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. charge — electricity
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. shower — rain
  13. charge — a price
  14. shower — to wash
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. saw — the tool
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. charge — in control
  22. bark — to shout
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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