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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: fine · lie · field · file · vault · patient · bound · straw

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. vault — a safe
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. field — farmland
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. file — a document
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bound — tied together
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. field — for sport
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fine — high quality
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bound — certain
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. field — a subject
  23. bound — obliged
  24. file — a tool

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