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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 120 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 · cabinet · rest · patient · mouse · press · calf · row

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rest — what's left
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. press — a publisher
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. vault — a safe
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — to push
  12. rest — a break
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. rest — what's left
  21. row — a line
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. row — to paddle

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