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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: land · mouse · patient · cabinet · cell · march · vault · ground

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. land — to come down
  4. ground — crushed
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cell — a phone
  9. ground — the earth
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. march — the month
  13. ground — a position
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. march — music
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cell — in biology
  18. land — a country
  19. land — ground
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. vault — a safe
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. march — the month
  24. mouse — for a computer

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