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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: craft · cell · scale · bass · straw · field · can · march

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. can — to be able to
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bass — the fish
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. cell — in biology
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. craft — boats
  13. march — the month
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. scale — in music
  16. march — the month
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. march — music
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. field — a subject
  23. craft — a skill
  24. scale — size or range

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