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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 120 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: patient · vault · stick · wind · staff · trunk · shower · mark

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. shower — to wash
  4. vault — a safe
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mark — a trace
  11. wind — moving air
  12. staff — employees
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. staff — a stick
  17. mark — a grade
  18. shower — rain
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. staff — employees

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