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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: lash · rock · squash · roll · game · club · patient · vault

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. vault — a safe
  3. roll — a list
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. squash — the sport
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. roll — a cake
  10. rock — music
  11. game — a match
  12. club — for dancing
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. rock — a stone
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. game — wild animals
  19. club — for golf
  20. club — a group
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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