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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: board · last · patient · vault · mine · degree · deal · rush

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. degree — temperature
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. board — to get on
  9. last — finally
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — a safe
  12. degree — an amount
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — a committee
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. degree — from a university
  19. deal — to handle
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. mine — for digging
  22. last — final
  23. last — to go on
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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