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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: bear · sharp · vault · hand · content · patient · mug · race

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bear — the animal
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — a safe
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. mug — a face
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. race — the arms race
  14. content — happy
  15. race — a contest
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bear — the animal
  18. race — humankind
  19. mug — to rob
  20. sharp — clever
  21. content — the amount
  22. mug — a cup
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — help

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