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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. craft — boats
  3. stock — shares
  4. fall — the season
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bass — low music
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. mine — for digging
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. fall — to drop
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. fall — to drop
  24. craft — a skill

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