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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: vault · mine · march · patient · temple · roll · straw · bore

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. march — the month
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bore — to tire
  10. roll — a cake
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. march — the month
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. roll — a list
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mine — for digging
  21. march — music
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bore — to drill
  24. vault — a safe

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