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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: cell · content · chest · vault · pitcher · patient · bass · bark

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cell — in biology
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. chest — a box
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. bass — the fish
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. content — happy
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bass — low music
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. vault — a safe
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. content — the amount

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