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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: key · pop · patient · net · straw · hand · wave · vault

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. hand — help
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. pop — soda
  5. vault — a safe
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. key — the most important part
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. net — after costs
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. hand — in cards
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. net — in sport
  16. pop — to visit
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. key — for a lock
  22. net — for catching
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pop — 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