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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: charge · spring · bat · ball · leaves · lie · patient · dip

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. dip — to sink
  3. charge — a price
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. ball — a great time
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. charge — in control
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. lie — to recline
  23. spring — the season
  24. charge — electricity

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