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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: bound · last · craft · leaves · bat · bass · nail · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. fall — the season
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bound — tied together
  10. fall — to drop
  11. craft — boats
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bound — obliged
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bound — certain
  21. last — finally
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bass — low music

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