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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: vault · patient · straw · kid · net · bore · pound · jam

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — a weight
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. kid — child
  5. bore — to tire
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. net — after costs
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. net — for catching
  18. bore — to drill
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. vault — a safe
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. net — in sport
  24. kid — to tease

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