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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: patient · bear · temple · vault · kid · coach

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. kid — child
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bear — the animal
  12. vault — a safe
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bear — the animal
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. patient — a sick person

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