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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 116 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: row · ball · vault · patient · band · stock · cap · last

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. cap — a hat
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. cap — a lid
  7. row — to paddle
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. band — a music group
  10. last — to go on
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. band — a ring
  13. vault — a safe
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. ball — a dance
  17. cap — of ice
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — shares
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. ball — a great time
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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