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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: vault · patient · fan · ground · snap · fine · rock · kid

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. kid — child
  3. fine — high quality
  4. vault — a safe
  5. kid — to tease
  6. fine — all right
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. ground — crushed
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. ground — the earth
  14. rock — music
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. ground — a position
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. rock — a stone
  22. snap — to click
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fine — a penalty

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