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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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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: band · bass · craft · cap · swing · branch · saw · wake

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. band — a ring
  3. swing — music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. wake — a trail
  6. swing — to play on
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cap — a lid
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. band — a music group
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. craft — a skill
  14. cap — of ice
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bass — low music
  19. craft — boats
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. swing — in golf
  23. cap — a hat
  24. band — a rubber band

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