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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: cabinet · straw · content · patient · charge · fork · saw · stick

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. saw — the tool
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. charge — electricity
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. content — happy
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. content — the amount
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. charge — in control
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fork — in a road

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