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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: clip · land · pound · bowl · patient · dip · face · vault

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. face — to confront
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. land — ground
  9. land — to come down
  10. clip — for paper
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. clip — a video
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. face — part of the head
  18. clip — to cut
  19. face — to point toward
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to sink
  22. land — a country
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. bowl — to roll

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