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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: ruler · kid · roll · mine · vault · wave · bark · patient

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. roll — a list
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. kid — child
  11. roll — a cake
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. bark — to shout
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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