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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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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: squash · patient · vault · mouse · trunk · hide · stick · cold

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. cold — not warm
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. vault — a safe
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. squash — the sport
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. cold — an illness
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. squash — to crush
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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