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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: plane · patient · track · hand · hide · vault · chip · nail

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. track — a song
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. track — to keep track
  9. hand — help
  10. chip — for betting
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. vault — a safe
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. track — a path
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — to eat

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