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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: spring · deal · dip · shower · bass · craft · scale · fall

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. fall — to drop
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. shower — to wash
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. shower — rain
  7. spring — the season
  8. scale — size or range
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. fall — to drop
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bass — low music
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bass — the fish
  19. scale — in music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. deal — to handle
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. fall — the season

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