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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: field · fan · mine · chip · pop · lash · craft · dip

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. field — a subject
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. field — farmland
  6. mine — for digging
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pop — soda
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. pop — music
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. craft — boats
  20. chip — for betting
  21. field — for sport
  22. pop — to visit
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. craft — a skill

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