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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. season — of the year
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. staff — a stick
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. band — a music group
  9. staff — employees
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. season — in sport
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. band — a ring
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bear — the animal
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. staff — employees
  23. bear — the animal
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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