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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  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. vault — a safe
  2. drill — the tool
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. drill — a practice
  5. band — a music group
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bank — for money
  8. branch — a division
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bank — for money
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bank — of a river
  16. cold — an illness
  17. drill — army training
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. band — a ring
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mouse — the animal
  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