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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: hand · bass · scale · can · craft · rock · cabinet · stick

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. can — to be able to
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — boats
  10. can — a tin
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. hand — in cards
  13. scale — in music
  14. rock — music
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bass — low music
  17. hand — help
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. can — a tin
  20. scale — size or range
  21. craft — a skill
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bass — the fish
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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