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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: bear · charge · craft · patient · band · kid · press · bay

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. band — a ring
  3. bear — the animal
  4. charge — in control
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. charge — a price
  11. kid — child
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. craft — boats
  14. press — newspapers
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. band — a music group
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — a skill
  19. press — to push
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. kid — to tease
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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