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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: cap · race · vault · prune · patient · rock · game · mouse

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. race — humankind
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. cap — a hat
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cap — a lid
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. prune — to trim
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. game — a match
  19. rock — a stone
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. race — a contest
  22. prune — to trim
  23. race — the arms race
  24. rock — music

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