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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wave · bass · chest · content · craft · racket · march · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. chest — of your body
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bass — low music
  11. march — the month
  12. content — happy
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. march — the month
  15. bass — the fish
  16. craft — boats
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. march — music
  19. chest — a box
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. craft — a skill
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. chest — of your body
  24. content — the amount

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