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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: clip · vault · field · craft · dip · net · foot · fan

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. dip — to sink
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. clip — for paper
  10. vault — a safe
  11. craft — a skill
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. net — after costs
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. craft — boats
  17. net — in sport
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. net — for catching
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. foot — a measure

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