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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 120 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: wake · cap · charge · drill · patient · band · shower · face

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. charge — electricity
  5. band — a music group
  6. shower — to wash
  7. face — to point toward
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. drill — a practice
  10. charge — in control
  11. cap — a hat
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wake — a trail
  14. shower — rain
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. charge — a price
  18. cap — of ice
  19. drill — army training
  20. face — to confront
  21. drill — the tool
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. cap — a lid
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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