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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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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: lie · vault · mine · bat · ground · content · calf · patient

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. ground — a position
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. mine — for digging
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. vault — a safe
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. ground — crushed
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. content — the amount
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. ground — the earth
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

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