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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
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: wind · wake · craft · bass · fine · straw · chair · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. fine — all right
  3. wake — a trail
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. craft — a skill
  9. season — in sport
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bass — low music
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. craft — boats
  16. fine — high quality
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. wind — moving air
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. bass — the fish
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. season — to add flavour

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