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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
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: game · spell · field · vault · craft · fan · cap · fall

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  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. cap — a lid
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. vault — a safe
  4. craft — boats
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. craft — a skill
  8. game — a match
  9. spell — magic
  10. field — for sport
  11. cap — of ice
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. game — wild animals
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. fall — to drop
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cap — a hat
  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