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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 116 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 · patient · hand · track · swing · dip · kid · march

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. hand — in cards
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. dip — to sink
  8. track — to keep track
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. swing — music
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. swing — to play on
  15. track — a song
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — child
  18. swing — in golf
  19. hand — help
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. march — the month
  22. vault — a safe
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. track — a path

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