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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 116 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: rash · nail · march · fall · craft · press · kid · bass

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. kid — child
  3. fall — to drop
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rash — a series
  7. march — music
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. march — the month
  10. craft — a skill
  11. kid — to tease
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — newspapers
  14. fall — the season
  15. press — to push
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bass — the fish
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bass — low music
  22. rash — hasty
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a handicraft

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