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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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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: patient · vault · saw · wound · tear · bank · spring · object

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. spring — the season
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. object — to protest
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bank — for money
  7. vault — a safe
  8. tear — from crying
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wound — an injury
  12. tear — to rip
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. object — a thing
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. object — an aim
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bank — of a river
  20. spring — of water
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bank — for money
  23. spring — a coil
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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