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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: vault · rash · patient · wave · stock · temple · kick · wind

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wind — moving air
  4. vault — a safe
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. stock — shares
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wind — moving air
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. rash — a series
  16. stock — goods
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. kick — in football
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. patient — a sick person

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