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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: season · wound · charge · net · patient · coach · mark · stick

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wound — an injury
  5. charge — a price
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. mark — a grade
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. net — after costs
  15. mark — a trace
  16. charge — in control
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. net — for catching
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. charge — electricity
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. net — in sport

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