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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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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: spring · net · pass · scale · bass · craft · trunk · row

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. net — after costs
  4. bass — low music
  5. net — in sport
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. craft — a skill
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. spring — the season
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bass — the fish
  15. net — for catching
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. craft — boats
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. pass — a permit
  20. scale — size or range
  21. row — a line
  22. row — to paddle
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. scale — in music

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