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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 120 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: craft · spring · fan · mate · bass · rock · ground · mug

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bass — low music
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. spring — a coil
  9. craft — boats
  10. spring — the season
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mug — to rob
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mug — a cup
  15. craft — a skill
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. mug — a face
  18. bass — the fish
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mate — a friend
  21. spring — of water
  22. rock — a stone
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. ground — a position

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