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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: patient · vault · tube · wake · mug · chest · pitch · rash

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. wake — a trail
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. vault — a safe
  6. tube — a container
  7. chest — a box
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. tube — the underground
  13. pitch — completely
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mug — to rob
  17. rash — a series
  18. mug — a cup
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. mug — a face
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. rash — hasty
  24. patient — a sick person

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