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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: chair · vault · prune · rash · cold · patient · bay · bass

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bass — the fish
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rash — hasty
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cold — an illness
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. cold — not warm
  15. vault — a safe
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. chair — a leader
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bass — low music

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