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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: band · bowl · prune · face · patient · charge · leaves · fan

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. face — to confront
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. charge — in control
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. band — a music group
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. face — to point toward
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. band — a ring
  18. face — part of the head
  19. charge — a price
  20. prune — to trim
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. prune — to trim
  23. charge — electricity
  24. fan — a supporter

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