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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: bound · vault · rule · patient · degree · roll · lash · jam

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. roll — a list
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. rule — a law
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. degree — an amount
  16. roll — a cake
  17. rule — government
  18. vault — a safe
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — tied together
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bound — certain

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