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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: lash · cap · field · stand · can · craft · clip · net

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. craft — a skill
  3. net — after costs
  4. cap — a hat
  5. craft — boats
  6. net — in sport
  7. cap — a lid
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. field — for sport
  10. clip — a video
  11. field — farmland
  12. cap — of ice
  13. clip — to cut
  14. stand — to bear
  15. can — a tin
  16. net — for catching
  17. clip — for paper
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. can — a tin
  20. field — a subject
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. can — to be able to
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. stand — on your feet

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