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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: firm · band · patient · kick · season · object · vault · chest

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. firm — steady
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. object — a thing
  7. chest — of your body
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. kick — in football
  11. object — to protest
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. firm — decided
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. firm — a company
  17. season — in sport
  18. chest — of your body
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. chest — a box
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. object — an aim
  24. band — a ring

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