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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: file · stand · straw · patient · board · land · vault · lie

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  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. stand — to bear
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. land — ground
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. board — to get on
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. land — a country
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. board — a committee
  17. file — a line of people
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. file — a tool
  20. lie — to recline
  21. file — a document
  22. land — to come down
  23. lie — an untruth
  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