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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: wind · march · bat · board · rest · ground · craft · bass

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. march — the month
  3. rest — a break
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. ground — a position
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. craft — a skill
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. march — music
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. ground — the earth
  12. craft — boats
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wind — moving air
  17. board — a committee
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bass — low music
  20. march — the month
  21. board — to get on
  22. bass — the fish
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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