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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · patient · cold · face · can · coach · stock · foot

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. cold — not warm
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. vault — a safe
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cold — an illness
  15. face — to point toward
  16. stock — goods
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. face — part of the head
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. stock — shares
  24. face — to confront

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