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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: patient · jam · clip · vault · snap · bore · craft · pitcher

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. clip — to cut
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. craft — a skill
  7. vault — a safe
  8. snap — to click
  9. clip — for paper
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. bore — to drill
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. clip — a video
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. craft — boats
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to tire

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