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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: kid · staff · vault · pound · patient · kick · current · net

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. kid — to tease
  4. vault — a safe
  5. staff — employees
  6. net — after costs
  7. current — of water
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. pound — a weight
  10. current — electric
  11. staff — a stick
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kick — in football
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kid — child
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. current — happening now
  23. staff — employees
  24. kick — with a leg

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