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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 120 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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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: cell · mine · charge · leaves · band · root · safe · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. cell — a phone
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — of a word
  6. charge — a price
  7. mine — for digging
  8. root — the cause
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. band — a music group
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. charge — in control
  13. cell — in biology
  14. charge — electricity
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. leaves — lets stay

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