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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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Word bank
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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: pop · rush · shower · rash · file · vault · kid · patient

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. vault — a safe
  3. rash — a series
  4. kid — to tease
  5. shower — rain
  6. file — a line of people
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. shower — to wash
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — music
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. file — a document
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. file — a tool
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rush — hurry
  24. kid — child

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