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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · bowl · mate · patient · vault · wave

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mate — a partner
  3. vault — a safe
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. cold — not warm
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. mate — a friend

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