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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: vault · bay · drill · tear · club · degree · patient · fork

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. drill — army training
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. degree — an amount
  6. tear — from crying
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. club — a group
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. drill — a practice
  16. degree — from a university
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — for dancing
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. vault — a safe
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. patient — a sick person

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