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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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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: race · rock · wound · chest · mouse · vault · shower · patient

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rock — a stone
  4. race — the arms race
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. race — humankind
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. wound — an injury
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. chest — of your body
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. wound — an injury
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. rock — music
  16. chest — a box
  17. shower — rain
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. race — a contest
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. vault — a safe
  24. shower — to wash

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