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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.

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: vault · plane · patient · rush · tear · club · rash · file

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rash — a series
  5. tear — from crying
  6. vault — a safe
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. file — a document
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. club — for dancing
  11. file — a line of people
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. file — a tool
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. tear — from crying
  17. plane — a tool
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — a group
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. rush — a thrill

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