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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: wax · wound · patient · pound · kid · rush · vault · perch

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. vault — a safe
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. wound — an injury
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. wax — to grow
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rush — hurry
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pound — a weight
  24. kid — child

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