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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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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 · kid · vault · march · band · mouse · snap · wake

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. march — the month
  7. kid — to tease
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. kid — child
  12. band — a music group
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. snap — to click
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. wake — a trail
  20. band — a ring
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — a safe
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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