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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: rock · lean · cap · season · craft · bass · straw · nail

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. craft — boats
  4. season — in sport
  5. cap — a hat
  6. craft — a skill
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bass — the fish
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. cap — a lid
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bass — low music
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. cap — of ice
  18. lean — thin
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rock — a stone
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. lean — to bend
  24. season — of the year

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