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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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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: vault · court · hand · ground · jam · craft · nail · patient

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. court — for sport
  5. vault — a safe
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. ground — a position
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. hand — help
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. craft — boats
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. craft — a skill
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. ground — crushed
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. hand — in cards
  24. ground — the earth

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