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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: tube · saw · band · suit · craft · rock · bass · cold

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. suit — clothes
  3. tube — the underground
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bass — low music
  6. craft — boats
  7. bass — the fish
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. suit — to fit
  10. rock — a stone
  11. suit — in cards
  12. rock — music
  13. craft — a skill
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cold — not warm
  16. tube — a container
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. band — a ring
  21. cold — an illness
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. band — a music group

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