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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: patient · wake · hand · charge · can · cold · roll · cap

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. cold — not warm
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. roll — a list
  5. hand — help
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. cap — a lid
  9. can — to be able to
  10. cap — a hat
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. wake — a trail
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — electricity
  15. cold — an illness
  16. can — a tin
  17. charge — a price
  18. roll — a cake
  19. cap — of ice
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. can — a tin

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