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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: rule · land · vault · shower · bound · mine · patient · nail

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. land — a country
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — rain
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bound — obliged
  13. land — to come down
  14. bound — certain
  15. land — ground
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — a law
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bound — tied together
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. vault — a safe
  24. nail — for a hammer

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