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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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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: bore · patient · vault · fan · rush · wound · chest · branch

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bore — to drill
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. branch — a division
  11. vault — a safe
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chest — of your body
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bore — to tire
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. chest — a box
  24. fan — to cool the air

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