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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: stick · vault · straw · jam · tear · wind

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wind — moving air
  3. tear — from crying
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. tear — to rip
  7. vault — a safe
  8. wind — moving air
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. tear — from crying
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — in traffic

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