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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 116 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 · snap · bowl · drill · root · staff · vault · band

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. band — a ring
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. root — of a word
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. root — the cause
  8. staff — a stick
  9. vault — a safe
  10. drill — army training
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. band — a music group
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. staff — employees
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. root — of a plant
  19. snap — to click
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. staff — employees
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. band — a rubber band

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