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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 120 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: field · lean · fan · staff · cap · vault · sharp · wind

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. cap — of ice
  3. staff — employees
  4. field — farmland
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. field — a subject
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. staff — employees
  12. lean — to bend
  13. vault — a safe
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. field — for sport
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cap — a lid
  19. staff — a stick
  20. cap — a hat
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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