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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: fan · land · lash · vault · bark · field · season · squash

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. field — for sport
  7. season — in sport
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. land — to come down
  10. field — a subject
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bark — to shout
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. field — farmland
  16. squash — to crush
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. squash — the sport
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. season — of the year
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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