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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: chest · safe · roll · patient · vault · leaves · mine · can

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mine — for digging
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. can — a tin
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. vault — a safe
  12. can — to be able to
  13. chest — a box
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. can — a tin

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