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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. bank — for money
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bank — for money
  7. march — the month
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. chest — of your body
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. march — music
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. chest — of your body
  19. vault — a safe
  20. bank — of a river
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. march — the month
  23. dip — to sink
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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