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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.

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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: cap · staff · patient · shower · vault · mug · tear · swing

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. mug — a cup
  3. tear — from crying
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. tear — to rip
  6. mug — to rob
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cap — a lid
  9. tear — from crying
  10. swing — music
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. staff — employees
  14. swing — in golf
  15. staff — a stick
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cap — a hat
  18. shower — to wash
  19. mug — a face
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. cap — of ice
  22. staff — employees
  23. swing — to play on
  24. vault — a safe

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