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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: patient · field · lean · vault · tube · pitcher · kid · jam

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. tube — the underground
  3. field — a subject
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. lean — to bend
  6. field — farmland
  7. tube — a container
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. field — for sport
  18. lean — thin
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. kid — child
  24. vault — a safe

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