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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · craft · degree · fan · tube · rash · bass · pass

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. bass — the fish
  5. spring — of water
  6. craft — a skill
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bass — low music
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. tube — a container
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. spring — the season
  18. rash — hasty
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rash — a series
  22. degree — an amount
  23. tube — the underground
  24. degree — temperature

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