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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: bear · cold · perch · bass · patient · sharp · wake · charge

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  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. sharp — with an edge
  3. cold — an illness
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bass — low music
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. charge — in control
  19. bass — the fish
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. perch — for a bird
  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