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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: vault · current · patient · field · pass · mug · lie · snap

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. mug — a face
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. lie — to recline
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pass — a permit
  11. current — happening now
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. field — a subject
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. current — electric
  18. current — of water
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. mug — to rob
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. snap — to click
  23. vault — a safe
  24. lie — an untruth

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