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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fan · pop · stand · court · nail · spring · field · hide

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. spring — the season
  7. field — a subject
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. stand — to bear
  12. field — for sport
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. field — farmland
  18. court — of law
  19. spring — a coil
  20. court — of a king
  21. spring — of water
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. court — for sport
  24. pop — music

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