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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: march · vault · wake · fan · bulb · snap · ball · field

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. ball — a great time
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. field — for sport
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bulb — for light
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. ball — a dance
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. field — farmland
  21. snap — to click
  22. field — a subject
  23. march — music
  24. fan — to cool the air

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