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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 120 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. band — a music group
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. cue — for pool
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. vault — a safe
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. rash — hasty
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. rash — a series
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. cue — a signal
  23. band — a ring
  24. branch — a division

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