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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: pound · roll · stick · fan · fine · field · vault · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. vault — a safe
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pound — a weight
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. cap — a lid
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. field — farmland
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. field — for sport
  14. roll — a cake
  15. cap — a hat
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. fine — all right
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. field — a subject
  20. roll — a list
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. fine — high quality

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