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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: cell · bay · lean · stock · vault · patient

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  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. lean — to bend
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. vault — a safe
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. lean — thin
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. stock — shares
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. stock — goods
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. cell — a phone
  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