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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 116 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: wind · stick · patient · net · march · vault

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. wind — moving air
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wind — moving air
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. march — the month
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. vault — a safe
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. net — after costs

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