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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.

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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: can · sharp · net · bound · stand · field · stick · fan

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. can — a tin
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. can — to be able to
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bound — certain
  8. field — a subject
  9. can — a tin
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. net — in sport
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. field — farmland
  20. bound — obliged
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bound — tied together
  23. field — for sport
  24. sharp — clever

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