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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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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. vault — a safe
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. land — to come down
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. shower — rain
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bass — the fish
  13. prune — to trim
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. prune — to trim
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. land — a country
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. shower — to wash
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. land — ground
  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