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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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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: patient · vault · cold · pound · kick · tube

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — a weight
  13. vault — a safe
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — an illness
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. kick — in football
  18. tube — the underground

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