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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.

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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: mate · fork · craft · bear · plane · bass · arm · stick

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. plane — a tool
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mate — a friend
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bass — low music
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. craft — boats
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bear — the animal
  19. craft — a skill
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bass — the fish
  24. mate — to breed

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