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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: can · vault · date · field · staff · fall · squash · saw

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. fall — the season
  3. field — for sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. can — a tin
  6. staff — a stick
  7. saw — the tool
  8. date — the fruit
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fall — to drop
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. squash — the sport
  13. staff — employees
  14. can — to be able to
  15. vault — a safe
  16. can — a tin
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. staff — employees
  19. fall — to drop
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. squash — to crush
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  24. date — on the calendar

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