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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 · capital · spring · bass · pass · current · fall · lie

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. fall — the season
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. lie — to recline
  5. fall — to drop
  6. current — electric
  7. capital — a city
  8. craft — boats
  9. bass — the fish
  10. current — of water
  11. bass — low music
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. spring — a coil
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pass — a permit
  18. current — happening now
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. spring — of water
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. spring — the season
  24. craft — a skill

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