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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: last · craft · net · toast · vault · press · fan · prune

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. net — for catching
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. net — after costs
  6. prune — to trim
  7. toast — bread
  8. craft — a skill
  9. vault — a safe
  10. press — to push
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. prune — to trim
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. net — in sport
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. last — to go on
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. press — newspapers
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. press — a publisher
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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