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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: field · straw · vault · degree · lash · staff · jam · press

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. press — newspapers
  3. field — farmland
  4. staff — employees
  5. degree — from a university
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. field — a subject
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. staff — employees
  11. degree — an amount
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. staff — a stick
  16. field — for sport
  17. vault — a safe
  18. press — a publisher
  19. degree — temperature
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. press — to push
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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