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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 116 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: patient · nail · ground · snap · vault · wind · stick · pop

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. pop — to visit
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. ground — a position
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. snap — to click
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. vault — a safe
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — music
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — crushed

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