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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: present · vault · chip · mate · tube · patient · hand · staff

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. staff — employees
  3. mate — a friend
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. mate — to breed
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. tube — the underground
  10. hand — in cards
  11. present — the time now
  12. staff — a stick
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mate — a partner
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. chip — to eat
  17. staff — employees
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. present — a gift
  21. tube — a container
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. present — there

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