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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: patient · drill · march · vault · content · shower · stand · calf

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. vault — a safe
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. content — happy
  8. march — the month
  9. shower — rain
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. drill — a practice
  12. stand — to bear
  13. shower — to wash
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. content — the amount
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. march — music
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. drill — the tool
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. march — the month

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