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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: date · trunk · charge · kid · swing · bound · rock · patient

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. kid — to tease
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bound — obliged
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. rock — music
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. rock — a stone
  11. charge — in control
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — electricity
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. date — the fruit
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. swing — music
  24. date — on the calendar

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