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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: stand · trunk · jam · clip · calf · vault · bore · row

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bore — to tire
  5. stand — to bear
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. vault — a safe
  10. clip — a video
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. row — a line
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. clip — to cut
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. clip — for paper
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bore — to drill
  24. stand — for spectators

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