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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: mine · staff · band · ground · vault · tube · patient · firm

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  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. vault — a safe
  2. mine — for digging
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. firm — decided
  6. staff — employees
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. firm — steady
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. tube — the underground
  13. ground — the earth
  14. band — a ring
  15. staff — a stick
  16. band — a music group
  17. tube — a container
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. firm — a company
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. staff — employees
  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