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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 · degree · chip · lean · vault · fall

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. chip — for betting
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. lean — to bend
  10. degree — from a university
  11. chip — to eat
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. vault — a safe
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — an amount
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — thin

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