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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 120 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 · cabinet · season · mine · wind · ruler · sharp · vault

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wind — moving air
  3. sharp — clever
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. season — of the year
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. mine — for digging
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. season — in sport
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wind — moving air

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