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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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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: last · patient · roll · clip · drill · vault · firm · nail

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. roll — a list
  5. firm — a company
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. drill — a practice
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. clip — a video
  10. last — final
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — for paper
  14. last — to go on
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. firm — decided
  17. last — finally
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — the tool
  22. firm — steady
  23. vault — a safe
  24. roll — a cake

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