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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: saw · pop · march · rush · band · hide · craft · spring

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. spring — the season
  3. pop — music
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. rush — hurry
  6. craft — boats
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pop — to visit
  10. saw — the tool
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. craft — a skill
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. march — the month
  17. spring — of water
  18. march — the month
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. pop — soda
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. march — music
  24. saw — the tool

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