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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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468
Word bank
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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. kid — to tease
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. kid — child
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bore — to drill
  9. band — a ring
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to tire
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. cell — in biology
  21. vault — a safe
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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