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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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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: snap · wound · ground · track · charge · lean · patient · kid

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. charge — a price
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. lean — to bend
  5. charge — electricity
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. track — a song
  9. lean — thin
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. snap — to click
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. ground — crushed
  15. kid — child
  16. ground — the earth
  17. kid — to tease
  18. track — a path
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wound — an injury
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. charge — in control
  24. ground — a position

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