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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: wind · board · chest · content · stand · patient · vault · rush

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. board — a committee
  5. content — happy
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. content — the amount
  8. vault — a safe
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. rush — hurry
  14. stand — to bear
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. chest — of your body
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rush — a thrill

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