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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: stand · kid · patient · cabinet · mine · fan · vault · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. stand — to bear
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. mine — for digging
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. kid — child
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. kid — to tease
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. vault — a safe
  24. patient — a sick person

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