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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 · field · net · content · roll · straw · board · wake

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. board — to get on
  5. content — happy
  6. net — in sport
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. roll — a list
  9. field — a subject
  10. net — after costs
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. net — for catching
  14. content — the amount
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. roll — a cake
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wake — a trail
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — for sport
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. board — a committee
  24. wake — before a funeral

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