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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: craft · field · land · arm · fall · fan · net · chest

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. land — ground
  4. field — for sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — boats
  8. chest — of your body
  9. net — in sport
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. chest — a box
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. net — after costs
  15. land — a country
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. field — farmland
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. land — to come down
  22. field — a subject
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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