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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: snap · bat · fan · vault · stand · field · ball · wax

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. ball — a dance
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. snap — to click
  10. stand — to bear
  11. field — a subject
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — the animal
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. field — for sport
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. wax — to grow
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a great time
  24. field — farmland

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