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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.

Make a worksheet

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
YesNo
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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: mine · lie · stick · bass · field · leaves · craft · scale

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. field — for sport
  3. bass — low music
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. field — a subject
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. craft — a skill
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. field — farmland
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. scale — in music
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. lie — to recline
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bass — the fish
  22. craft — boats
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bass — the instrument

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