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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. drill — a practice
  4. vault — a safe
  5. tube — the underground
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. tube — a container
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — a partner
  11. spring — the season
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a music group
  15. rock — a stone
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. drill — army training
  18. mate — to breed
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. drill — the tool
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. rock — music

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