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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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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: patient · cold · safe · march · wound · vault · club · straw

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. wound — an injury
  9. club — a group
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. club — for golf
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. vault — a safe
  14. cold — an illness
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. march — the month
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. club — for dancing
  19. march — music
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — not warm

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