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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: stick · march · chair · mate · patient · lash · current · charge

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — a leader
  5. march — the month
  6. mate — a friend
  7. march — the month
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. current — happening now
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. current — electric
  12. charge — electricity
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. march — music
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mate — to breed
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. charge — in control
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. mate — a partner
  23. current — of water
  24. charge — a price

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