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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: patient · vault · squash · key · content · cold · temple · tube

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. squash — to crush
  5. cold — an illness
  6. tube — the underground
  7. key — in music
  8. squash — the sport
  9. content — happy
  10. key — for a lock
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. key — the most important part
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. vault — a safe
  17. content — the amount
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — a container
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. temple — a place of worship

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