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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 116 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: bank · craft · face · dip · bound · band · rash · march

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bank — for money
  4. bound — obliged
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. craft — a skill
  7. march — music
  8. bound — certain
  9. dip — to sink
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bank — of a river
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. face — to confront
  15. craft — boats
  16. march — the month
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. march — the month
  19. rash — hasty
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rash — a series
  23. bank — for money
  24. face — part of the head

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