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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: tear · land · wound · vault · foot · patient · spell · racket

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. foot — a measure
  6. spell — a short time
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. land — to come down
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. spell — magic
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. land — a country
  16. tear — from crying
  17. land — ground
  18. spell — letters
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. tear — to rip
  22. vault — a safe
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. tear — from crying

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