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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: vault · cold · rush · jam · roll · patient · leaves · drill

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. rush — hurry
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. roll — a list
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. cold — not warm
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. drill — army training
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. drill — the tool
  12. vault — a safe
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. roll — a cake
  21. drill — a practice
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. cold — an illness
  24. jam — in traffic

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