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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: patient · wake · charge · dip · cell · safe · snap · pitcher

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wake — a trail
  4. cell — in biology
  5. charge — in control
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. cell — a phone
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. snap — to click
  23. charge — electricity
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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