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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.

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: patient · ground · ball · rest · drill · charge · row · root

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — electricity
  3. row — to paddle
  4. drill — army training
  5. ground — crushed
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. drill — a practice
  8. ball — a great time
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. ground — a position
  14. row — a line
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. rest — what's left
  17. root — of a word
  18. rest — a break
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. rest — what's left
  23. charge — in control
  24. drill — the tool

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