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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: cabinet · bear · march · saw · branch · fan · bass · band

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. march — music
  4. band — a ring
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. march — the month
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bear — the animal
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bear — the animal
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. band — a music group
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. march — the month
  20. bass — low music
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. branch — a division
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — the instrument

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