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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. staff — a stick
  4. field — farmland
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. bore — to drill
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. staff — employees
  15. shower — rain
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. field — a subject
  18. key — the most important part
  19. staff — employees
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. vault — a safe
  22. shower — to wash
  23. field — for sport
  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