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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: cabinet · patient · vault · mouse · staff · tear · pit · degree

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. 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. cabinet — ministers
  2. staff — employees
  3. degree — from a university
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. tear — from crying
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. tear — to rip
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — in a race
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. staff — a stick
  16. degree — temperature
  17. staff — employees
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. vault — a safe
  24. 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