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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: kid · leaves · vault · jam · row · can · patient · straw

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. can — a tin
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. row — a line
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. can — a tin
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. kid — to tease
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. row — to paddle
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. can — to be able to
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. kid — child
  20. vault — a safe
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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