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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  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. scale — size or range
  3. season — of the year
  4. last — to go on
  5. scale — in music
  6. craft — boats
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rock — music
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. last — final
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. last — finally
  17. bass — low music
  18. fork — in a road
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. rock — a stone
  23. craft — a handicraft
  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