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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · shower · key · bulb · vault · date · bat · lie

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  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. shower — to wash
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. date — the fruit
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bulb — for light
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. vault — a safe
  14. key — in music
  15. key — for a lock
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. lie — to recline
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bat — the animal
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. shower — rain
  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