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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 116 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: pound · vault · kid · sharp · prune · patient · mug · straw

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. vault — a safe
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. mug — to rob
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. mug — a cup
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. sharp — clever
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. kid — to tease
  13. prune — to trim
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. prune — to trim
  18. kid — child
  19. mug — a face
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. sharp — with an edge

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