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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 116 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.

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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: field · mine · vault · fan · rest · tube · squash · stick

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. squash — the sport
  3. rest — what's left
  4. squash — to crush
  5. tube — the underground
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. vault — a safe
  11. rest — what's left
  12. field — for sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. rest — a break
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. field — a subject
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. tube — a container
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mine — for digging
  21. field — farmland
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. mine — an explosive

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