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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: vault · patient · deal · spring · last · press

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. last — finally
  5. spring — the season
  6. last — to go on
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. press — newspapers
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. press — to push
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. spring — of water
  13. press — a publisher
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. spring — a coil
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. vault — a safe

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