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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · march · chest · vault · dip · pop · scale · patient

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. vault — a safe
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to sink
  11. rash — hasty
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. pop — soda
  14. chest — a box
  15. scale — size or range
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. scale — in music
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rash — a series
  24. march — music

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