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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: key · craft · plane · row · last · bass · pop · calf

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. key — for a lock
  5. craft — boats
  6. last — to go on
  7. bass — low music
  8. last — final
  9. row — to paddle
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. key — the most important part
  13. pop — music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. plane — a tool
  16. last — finally
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. craft — a skill
  19. key — in music
  20. row — a line
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — soda

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