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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 · patient · cell · scale · dip · net · wound · rock

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rock — a stone
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. cell — a phone
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. net — for catching
  10. cell — in biology
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. vault — a safe
  18. net — after costs
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. wound — an injury
  22. net — in sport
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. rock — music

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