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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: bank · march · branch · date · band · season · craft · straw

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bank — of a river
  3. craft — a skill
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. march — the month
  6. branch — a division
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. season — in sport
  10. date — the fruit
  11. march — the month
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a ring
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. craft — boats
  19. season — of the year
  20. bank — for money
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bank — for money
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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