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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: patient · stick · vault · staff · wave · bound · degree · bank

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. vault — a safe
  5. bank — for money
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bound — tied together
  9. degree — temperature
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. staff — a stick
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. bound — obliged
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bound — certain
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. degree — an amount

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