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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: vault · patient · shower · wake · staff · bound · chest · bore

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bore — to drill
  3. wake — a trail
  4. shower — rain
  5. staff — employees
  6. bound — tied together
  7. vault — a safe
  8. bound — obliged
  9. staff — employees
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bound — certain
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. chest — of your body
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. shower — to wash
  23. chest — a box
  24. patient — a sick person

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