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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: content · shower · patient · band · vault · trunk · branch · board

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. shower — to wash
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — to get on
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. shower — rain
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. board — a committee
  14. content — the amount
  15. band — a ring
  16. branch — a division
  17. band — a music group
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. content — happy
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. vault — a safe

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