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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: charge · patient · board · row · ground · lash · tear · track

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. tear — from crying
  3. track — to keep track
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. charge — in control
  6. board — a committee
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. charge — electricity
  9. ground — crushed
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. tear — from crying
  12. row — to paddle
  13. track — a path
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — a position
  17. tear — to rip
  18. track — a song
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. charge — a price
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. row — a line

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