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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
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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: shower · race · file · bass · bulb · stem · ball · craft

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. race — humankind
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bass — the fish
  7. ball — a dance
  8. shower — rain
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bass — low music
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. file — a document
  14. craft — boats
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. stem — to come from
  18. file — a tool
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. craft — a skill
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bulb — for light
  24. ball — a great time

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