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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.

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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: fan · bat · net · drill · stand · lash · field · fine

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. field — for sport
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. net — in sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — army training
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bat — the animal
  13. fine — high quality
  14. net — after costs
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. net — for catching
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. field — farmland
  20. fine — all right
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. stand — to bear

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