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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: wound · pound · jam · vault · straw · coach · fork · net

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. fork — in a road
  8. vault — a safe
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. wound — an injury
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. pound — a weight
  21. net — for catching
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. straw — dry grass

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