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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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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bass — low music
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bulb — for light
  5. band — a music group
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — a skill
  8. band — a ring
  9. degree — from a university
  10. track — a song
  11. degree — an amount
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bass — the fish
  17. degree — temperature
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. fall — the season
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. track — a path

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