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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: band · rock · bound · march · craft · branch · can · degree

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. march — the month
  3. can — to be able to
  4. march — the month
  5. can — a tin
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — obliged
  9. band — a ring
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. can — a tin
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. degree — an amount
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. march — music
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a skill
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. branch — a division
  22. degree — temperature
  23. band — a music group
  24. degree — from a university

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