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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: toast · swing · capital · vault · shower · stock · net · patient

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. swing — in golf
  4. vault — a safe
  5. net — after costs
  6. stock — goods
  7. swing — to play on
  8. shower — rain
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — money
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. shower — to wash
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. net — for catching
  17. stock — shares
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. toast — bread
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. swing — music
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. net — in sport

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