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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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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: cell · drill · mate · charge · shower · clip · mark · patient

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — a partner
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. drill — a practice
  7. mark — a grade
  8. charge — a price
  9. mate — to breed
  10. drill — the tool
  11. clip — a video
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. shower — rain
  16. cell — a phone
  17. drill — army training
  18. mark — a trace
  19. charge — electricity
  20. clip — to cut
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. cell — in biology
  23. clip — for paper
  24. cell — in a prison

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