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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: leaves · sharp · jam · wound · wake · patient · vault · tube

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. sharp — clever
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. vault — a safe
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. wake — a trail
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. leaves — of a tree

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