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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 · rush · content · object · branch · cold · safe · patient

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. object — a thing
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. cold — not warm
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. cold — an illness
  12. object — to protest
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — a division
  15. rush — hurry
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. content — happy
  18. vault — a safe
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. object — an aim
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — to hurry

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