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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: spring · present · wake · sharp · charge · face · patient · field

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  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. spring — the season
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. present — a gift
  5. charge — in control
  6. present — there
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. charge — a price
  9. spring — a coil
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. spring — of water
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. field — a subject
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. face — to point toward
  19. present — the time now
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to confront
  22. charge — electricity
  23. wake — a trail
  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