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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 120 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: craft · firm · cold · wound · fine · staff · fall · bass

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. wound — an injury
  3. staff — employees
  4. craft — boats
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. fine — high quality
  8. staff — a stick
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. bass — the fish
  12. fine — all right
  13. firm — a company
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. staff — employees
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. firm — steady
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. fall — the season
  22. bass — low music
  23. firm — decided
  24. wound — an injury

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