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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: vault · spring · can · shower · mark · squash · patient · bat

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. bat — the animal
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. can — to be able to
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. shower — to wash
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. mark — a grade
  12. spring — a coil
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. can — a tin
  15. spring — of water
  16. shower — rain
  17. spring — the season
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. squash — the sport
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. squash — to crush
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. can — a tin

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