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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: bat · lie · craft · bass · spring · pass · straw · scale

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. craft — a skill
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. scale — in music
  6. spring — of water
  7. bat — the animal
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. craft — boats
  13. scale — size or range
  14. spring — the season
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bass — low music
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. spring — a coil
  22. lie — to recline
  23. scale — for weighing
  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