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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: craft · vault · mine · fan · race · land · season · bowl

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. race — a contest
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. land — to come down
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. season — of the year
  11. race — humankind
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. race — the arms race
  14. season — in sport
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — a safe
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. land — a country
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. land — ground

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