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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: saw · stick · straw · vault · roll · tube · pound · patient

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. vault — a safe
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. tube — a container
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. saw — the tool
  14. tube — the underground
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. roll — a list
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. roll — a cake
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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