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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: hand · bore · vault · patient · field · object · stand · mine

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bore — to drill
  5. object — an aim
  6. field — for sport
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — a safe
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. object — to protest
  12. hand — in cards
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. field — a subject
  17. object — a thing
  18. field — farmland
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. hand — help
  21. bore — to tire
  22. stand — to bear
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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