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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: jam · vault · rash · hand · current · clip · patient · ball

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  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. hand — help
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — a series
  4. clip — a video
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. clip — for paper
  8. current — happening now
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. clip — to cut
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. hand — in cards
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. current — of water
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. current — electric
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a dance
  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