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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stand · sharp · cabinet · land · fall · net · field · fan

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. land — a country
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. land — to come down
  7. field — farmland
  8. fall — to drop
  9. sharp — clever
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — for catching
  13. stand — to bear
  14. net — in sport
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. field — a subject
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. field — for sport
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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