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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.

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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: craft · wax · board · fork · file · bass · bound · march

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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. bass — the instrument
  3. fork — in a road
  4. march — the month
  5. file — a line of people
  6. craft — boats
  7. march — the month
  8. bass — the fish
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. march — music
  11. board — a committee
  12. bound — tied together
  13. craft — a skill
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. bound — certain
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a tool
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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