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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: bass · can · squash · craft · trunk · swing · march · hide

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. march — the month
  3. craft — a skill
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. march — the month
  6. can — a tin
  7. bass — the fish
  8. can — a tin
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bass — low music
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. craft — boats
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. swing — to play on
  17. march — music
  18. swing — music
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — the sport
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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