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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 116 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: wound · lie · mine · key · stand · bass · fork · craft

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. key — the most important part
  5. stand — to bear
  6. craft — a skill
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. craft — boats
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. key — in music
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bass — the fish
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. lie — to recline
  21. key — for a lock
  22. fork — in a road
  23. mine — for digging
  24. craft — a handicraft

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