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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bark · cabinet · patient · cold · court · spell · safe · charge

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. spell — letters
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. spell — a short time
  6. charge — in control
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. court — of a king
  12. bark — to shout
  13. charge — electricity
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. cold — not warm
  16. charge — a price
  17. court — for sport
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. spell — magic
  20. court — of law
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — an illness

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