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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: bear · trunk · staff · patient · wind · kid · vault · mug

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. bear — the animal
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. kid — to tease
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. kid — child
  15. staff — employees
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wind — moving air
  18. vault — a safe
  19. mug — to rob
  20. bear — the animal
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mug — a face
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. mug — a cup

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