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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.

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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: bark · wave · fall · bass · craft · pitcher · leaves · rush

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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. rush — a thrill
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. craft — a skill
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bass — the fish
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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