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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.

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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: bank · fan · net · rash · bowl · vault · field · hand

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. net — after costs
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. field — for sport
  6. hand — in cards
  7. field — farmland
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. net — for catching
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. net — in sport
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. field — a subject
  20. vault — a safe
  21. hand — help
  22. bank — for money
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. hand — part of the body

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