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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: date · craft · mouse · bass · wake · march · mine · spell

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. date — the fruit
  5. march — the month
  6. spell — letters
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. spell — magic
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wake — a trail
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. spell — a short time
  15. craft — boats
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bass — low music
  18. mine — for digging
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. craft — a skill
  24. bass — the fish

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