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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. stock — goods
  4. bank — of a river
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bank — for money
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. game — a match
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. vault — a safe
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bank — for money
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stock — shares
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. rash — hasty
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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