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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: field · vault · ground · prune · board · straw · net · craft

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. prune — to trim
  3. craft — a skill
  4. field — farmland
  5. net — after costs
  6. field — a subject
  7. ground — a position
  8. net — in sport
  9. ground — crushed
  10. prune — to trim
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. vault — a safe
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. board — a committee
  17. craft — boats
  18. ground — the earth
  19. net — for catching
  20. field — for sport
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. board — to get on
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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