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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mug · vault · fan · rush · safe · cold · fall · patient

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. vault — a safe
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cold — an illness
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. rush — hurry
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mug — a cup
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. mug — a face
  17. cold — not warm
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fall — to drop
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. fall — the season
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. safe — a strongbox

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