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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: fan · club · vault · dip · date · stand · band · field

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. club — a group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. club — for dancing
  9. vault — a safe
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. dip — to sink
  13. field — farmland
  14. band — a music group
  15. field — a subject
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. band — a ring
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. stand — to bear
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. field — for sport
  24. club — for golf

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