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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. chest — a box
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bank — of a river
  9. vault — a safe
  10. spring — the season
  11. lie — to recline
  12. spring — of water
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. kick — in football
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. spring — a coil
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bank — for money
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bank — for money
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. rush — hurry

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