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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 124 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: cold · charge · patient · mine · coach · root · fork · date

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. root — the cause
  4. charge — a price
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. date — the fruit
  10. fork — in a road
  11. charge — electricity
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mine — for digging
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. charge — in control
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. root — of a word
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. root — of a plant
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. patient — a sick person

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