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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: stand · vault · bore · jam · march · wind · land · chest

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. march — the month
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — ground
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bore — to drill
  14. vault — a safe
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. chest — a box
  20. wind — moving air
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. land — a country
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. wind — moving air

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