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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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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: vault · perch · patient · current · wake · stand · swing · shower

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. vault — a safe
  3. current — happening now
  4. shower — rain
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — in golf
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. current — of water
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. swing — music
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. perch — the fish
  15. stand — to bear
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. current — electric
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. patient — a sick person

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