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

Word bank: vault · drill · patient · chair · wake · last

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. 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. drill — a practice
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. last — finally
  6. wake — a trail
  7. last — final
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. drill — army training
  10. chair — a leader
  11. drill — the tool
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. last — to go on
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. vault — a safe
  18. 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