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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: tear · club · bass · fall · craft · fine · nail · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. bass — low music
  4. club — for golf
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fine — high quality
  7. bass — the fish
  8. craft — a skill
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fall — to drop
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. club — for dancing
  14. fall — the season
  15. club — a group
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. tear — from crying
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — all right
  22. craft — boats
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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