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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: stick · patient · bore · kid · mine · mouse · sharp · vault

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. kid — child
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. kid — to tease
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bore — to drill
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. vault — a safe
  20. bore — to tire
  21. sharp — clever
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mouse — the animal

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