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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 116 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 · trunk · mouse · perch · face · charge · bore · season

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bore — to tire
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. charge — a price
  6. perch — the fish
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. season — of the year
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. face — part of the head
  18. charge — electricity
  19. face — to confront
  20. bore — to drill
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. season — in sport
  23. charge — in control
  24. face — to point toward

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