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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: bound · fan · vault · cell · firm · patient · mine · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. cell — a phone
  3. vault — a safe
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bound — obliged
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bound — certain
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. firm — steady
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. firm — a company
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. firm — decided

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