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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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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: tear · patient · arm · vault · hand · stand · rule · craft

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. craft — boats
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. vault — a safe
  11. tear — to rip
  12. rule — government
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. rule — a law
  16. hand — help
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. tear — from crying
  19. stand — to bear
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. hand — in cards
  24. craft — a skill

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