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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 · kid · charge · face · shower · fall · object · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. fall — the season
  3. face — part of the head
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. object — a thing
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. object — to protest
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. charge — in control
  12. fall — to drop
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. kid — child
  15. shower — rain
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — electricity
  18. face — to point toward
  19. fall — to drop
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. face — to confront
  23. kid — to tease
  24. object — an aim

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