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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: tube · jam · mug · fall · pitcher · stick · vault · fork

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fall — the season
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. mug — a cup
  12. fall — to drop
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mug — a face
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mug — to rob
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. fork — in a road
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. vault — a safe

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