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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: kid · hand · vault · track · roll · bowl · patient · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. track — to keep track
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. field — for sport
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. hand — help
  11. roll — a list
  12. track — a path
  13. kid — child
  14. field — farmland
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. hand — in cards
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — a safe
  20. track — a song
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a cake
  24. bowl — a dish

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