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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 · capital · wake · vault · lash · roll · coach · stem

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. wake — a trail
  3. vault — a safe
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. capital — a city
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. capital — money
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. roll — a list
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stem — to come from
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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