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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: wake · land · patient · vault · spring · bore · staff · ground

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. wake — a trail
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. spring — a coil
  6. land — a country
  7. ground — the earth
  8. staff — employees
  9. spring — the season
  10. staff — a stick
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. ground — a position
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. vault — a safe
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to tire
  18. land — ground
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. staff — employees
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. land — to come down
  24. spring — of water

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