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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 · rash · can · cap · last · wake · bass · march

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. cap — a hat
  5. can — a tin
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bank — for money
  9. last — to go on
  10. bank — for money
  11. march — music
  12. can — a tin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bass — low music
  15. cap — a lid
  16. march — the month
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bass — the fish
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. cap — of ice
  23. rash — a series
  24. march — the month

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