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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: mouse · sharp · leaves · mine · last · patient · bore · charge

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — in control
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. charge — electricity
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bore — to tire
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. last — to go on
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mine — for digging
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. last — final
  18. bore — to drill
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. last — finally

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