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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 120 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 · chest · squash · bay · march · mine · can

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. march — the month
  3. vault — a safe
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. chest — of your body
  6. can — a tin
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. chest — a box
  9. squash — to crush
  10. march — the month
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. march — music
  13. mine — for digging
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. squash — the sport
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. can — to be able to

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