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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.

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: field · mug · bass · craft · stand · cabinet · mouse · scale

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. field — for sport
  3. bass — the fish
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mug — a face
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. field — farmland
  9. craft — a skill
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mug — a cup
  12. field — a subject
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. mug — to rob
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. craft — boats
  19. scale — in music
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bass — low music
  24. stand — to bear

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