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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: clip · plane · roll · field · mate · fan · rush · net

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. clip — to cut
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. roll — a cake
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. net — for catching
  8. field — farmland
  9. clip — a video
  10. mate — to breed
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. clip — for paper
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — a friend
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. field — for sport
  19. roll — a list
  20. rush — hurry
  21. plane — a tool
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — after costs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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