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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 116 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 · cold · fan · rash · patient · staff · pitcher · nail

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. vault — a safe
  3. cold — an illness
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. staff — employees
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. cold — not warm
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rash — hasty

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