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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: fall · craft · bay · cabinet · lie · staff · bulb · bass

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. staff — employees
  4. bass — low music
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. fall — to drop
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. staff — employees
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bulb — for light
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bass — the fish
  16. craft — boats
  17. staff — a stick
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. fall — the season
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. lie — an untruth

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