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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. roll — a cake
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bound — tied together
  5. vault — a safe
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. bound — certain
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. roll — a list
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — in football
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bound — obliged
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. roll — on a roll

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