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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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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 · lash · snap · chair · wave · march · firm · patient

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. firm — a company
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. chair — a leader
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. march — music
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. firm — steady
  14. snap — to click
  15. firm — decided
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — a price
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. patient — a sick person

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