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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: fork · saw · patient · calf · stem · vault · last · content

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. content — happy
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. last — finally
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. last — to go on
  12. fork — in a road
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. saw — the tool
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. content — the amount
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. last — final
  23. saw — the tool
  24. vault — a safe

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