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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: deal · patient · wound · pitcher · hand · staff · charge · mine

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. charge — in control
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. staff — employees
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wound — an injury
  8. charge — a price
  9. staff — a stick
  10. mine — for digging
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. deal — to handle
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. hand — in cards
  19. staff — employees
  20. wound — an injury
  21. charge — electricity
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. hand — help

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