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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: spring · vault · jam · arm · patient · row · field · bowl

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. spring — of water
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. row — a line
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. spring — the season
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. field — a subject
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. vault — a safe
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. spring — a coil
  24. arm — a part of something

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